Not Always Smooth Sailing
by jehbel
Summary: Water water everywhere... As the class sets off on a group cruise for school, Joey is forced to spend more time than he likes around Kaiba, which begins to stir up odd feelings. Joey x Kaiba. Some bad language, lots of confusion/angst, some suggestion of abuse, detailed sexual activity (eventually!) PuppyShipping.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! I wish.**

 **I am open to suggestions/requests for adding content to this story. It will likely end up quite lengthy, so bear with me. I will however finish it because I HATE unfinished stories! If you don't like what I'm writing, I give no apologies. Go elsewhere.**

 **Enjoy!**

"Many people were taken in by Stoker's memoire-style of writing and his fictional tale of Dracula was for a long time widely believed to be- oh!"

The droning monologue of Joey Wheeler's teacher was suddenly cut short, and despite Joey's persistent attempts to drown out her lecturing tone all afternoon, the abrupt silence drew his attention away from the deep groove he had been carving into his desk top. What had made old Mrs. Borrin (Joey wittily thought of her as Mrs. _Boring_ ) pause her lesson long enough to draw a breath? Joey could even hear a few students muttering and whispering to one another. Joey lifted his head up and his attention was immediately drawn by the dramatic figure of Seto Kaiba striding down the aisles between the seats. Even in the same uniformly ugly blue school blazer that everybody had to wear, he somehow looked much older and much more striking than anybody else. Although, Joey thought sourly, that was probably because Moneybags Kaiba had paid extra to get his uniform _tailored_. Who on earth tailors their school uniform? Somebody with too much money and not enough sense, Joey mused.

Taking advantage of the sudden silence, Joey waved his arm in the direction of Kaiba and playfully yelled out, "Heya Missus Borrin, now look what ya've done, talkin' about Dracula- you've summoned the undead!" A ripple of laughter rose from the class, dying off quickly as Kaiba slowed to a stop and turned his trademark glare on Joey. Even more sinister however was the smirk playing around the edges of his mouth.

"When I want to hear a filthy mongrel sit up straight and yap, I'll go to the circus, Wheeler."

Rage unfurled itself in Joey's gut. He _hated_ being called a mutt, mongrel, whatever other insult Kaiba could throw at him about being a dog; the brunette knew exactly how to get a rise out of him. "Asshole! I'll show _you_ who's a mongrel!" Joey leapt to his feet, pushing his chair pack several feet until it came to a rest against the desk behind him. In the next seat over, Yugi shifted in his seat and frantically whispered, "don't, Joey! You know you're already on a warning for fighting! Please sit down!" His large amethyst eyes were beseeching and already looked to be a bit teary; Yugi was always one to avoid conflict if he could help it and hated seeing others in strife. The air around and behind Yugi seemed to warp and shimmer and Joey knew that Yami was on the verge of emerging to defend his Aibu, whose emotions he had obviously picked up on; it was always the way between those two. Joey ignored Yugi and stood glaring at Kaiba with all the hatred he could summon; his fists were clenched whitely and almost shaking from the strength of his emotions. But he also knew Yugi spoke the truth; he could not afford another strike against his name or he would be suspended from school, and stuck all day at home with his father. At least at school he could punch back. Still glaring at the now openly smirking CEO who had taken his customary seat in the back corner, Joey gave one stiff nod before pulling up his seat and slowly sitting down. Mrs. Borrin was squawking away in the background at the two of them but Joey did not care; sitting hunched over his desk he proceeded to gouge deep furrows into his desktop with his pencil, imagining all the while it was Kaiba's eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

"You shouldn't let him get to you like that, Joey". Yugi peered up at him with a concerned expression, eyes large and sincere. "Maybe if you stopped picking fights with him, he'd also leave you alone?" Although Joey knew that Yugi was right, it didn't improve his already black mood, and he continued to stride angrily up the footpath, coming dangerously close to leaving Yugi behind as his pace increased. "I know it Yug', but that creep just gets to me! He needs someone to take him down a peg, the smug bastard." Joey hoisted his backpack further up his shoulder and peered down at Yugi, mildly surprised to see that he had dropped back a bit. He made a mental note not to take his bad mood out on his kind hearted companion and checked his pace. "Besides, I was just jokin' around, but he always goes straight for the throat. And he KNOWS how much I hate bein' called a damned mutt!" Toward the end Joey's voice had risen to a near shout and Yugi was looking faintly distressed. As if on cue, Yami appeared beside the shorter boy, staring intently at his Aibu. After silently scrutinising Yugi for a few seconds, the taller boy calmly looked up at Joey. "Would you like me to speak to him, Joey? He may listen to me as he sees me as an equal". Yugi quickly interjected, "no offense of course Joey! You know what Kaiba is like though". As Yugi spoke Yami's gaze shifted back to his face as though fascinated by everything he saw there.

Joey shook his head to clear it of his thoughts, before replying, "Nah, Yug- I mean, Yami, thanks but that's okay- I did start it all, I guess. I should just learn to keep me big trap shut". As Joey morosely kicked at a dead leaf on the footpath, Yugi glanced at Yami. They were both surprised by Joey's extreme reaction to his latest spat with Kaiba, and Yugi was keen to snap him out of his dark mood. Yami nodded at Yugi, knowing as the smaller boy did that this situation called for a one-on-one. Yami faded away slowly, smiling faintly at his Aibu, who had already turned back to the taller blonde beside him. "Listen, Joey. I know you're feeling down, but it's time to snap out of it. Don't give Kaiba another thought! Getting mad about him is exactly what he wants." Joey considered this. "And don't forget! We find out tomorrow which class trip we are going on! I really hope it's the amusement park idea!" Yugi hopped up and down slightly with excitement and his huge beaming smile dragged a begrudging one from Joey. And he was right; tomorrow the class votes would be counted and the winning trip would begin the following week! The class had been winding themselves up into a frenzy debating which option would be picked, although the hot favourites in Joey's circle of friends seemed to be skiing or an amusement park option. The trips all cost roughly the same amount and so had been prepaid far in advance. Joey's mood soured a little as he recalled that he'd had to apply for a financial hardship grant to be able to afford to go on the trip- his father certainly wasn't going to spend the money on him. Joey ran a hand through his thick mop of blonde hair, sighing as he realised that he was deliberately seeking reasons to be grumpy. "You're right Yug', that is cool! We will have to get to school early to go see the list. Ya wanna be bunkmates, wherever we're going?" Yugi beamed at Joey and nodded enthusiastically. Joey's spirits lifted a little at the prospect of two weeks of school free holidays spent with all his best friends. "C'mon Yug, let's hit the arcade!" Yugi cheered enthusiastically and the two boys began jogging in the direction of their favourite gaming arcade. Things were definitely looking up.

For the first time in many months, Joey was early to school. He and Yugi had spent hours the night before discussing the upcoming class trip, managing to convince themselves over enormous slices of pizza and cups of flat lemonade that the amusement park option had definitely been chosen. Joey had been so caught up in the thrill that he'd lost track of time and been late arriving home. As a result he now sported a livid purple bruise on his upper arm where his father had grabbed him in a vice-like grip as Joey had attempted to sneak past and up to his bedroom. Luckily he had not been punished for being late this time and his father had contented himself with merely yelling at Joey for several minutes and shaking him slightly by the arm. Joey ensured that his long sleeved blazer stayed on however to avoid any awkward questions should his shorter white school shirt sleeves reveal the bruise.

A blonde-tipped spike of jet black hair emerged amongst the crush of students and Joey realised Yugi was struggling toward him. "Mornin' Yug'!" Joey yelled cheerfully as the shorter boy pushed his way over. "Are you ready to go check out the results?" Puffing slightly, Yugi nodded and stepped in behind Joey, who was much more successful at carving a path through the mass of blue-blazer clad students. As they approached the front steps of the school building, Joey and Yugi noticed a lone student standing still as their classmates milled about. "Morning, Ryou!" Yugi called out, drawing the white haired boy's attention. "Are you waiting for somebody?" Ryou turned toward the duo and his dark brown eyes flashed with concern. "Good morning, Yugi. Good morning Joey. I am trying to find Bakura; he disappeared earlier but would not tell me where he was going! I just do hope that he's not off causing problems. I thought if I waited up here I might spot him but I have been waiting for ages and have seen no sign of him!" Already pale, poor Ryou looked even more wan than usual. He had good reason for concern; Bakura was insane, and even his Aibou had at best a tenuous control over his actions. Joey did not envy Ryou the burden of being Bakura's partner. Imagine spending all your waking minutes thinking about another person and not yourself! Joey shuddered at the thought and pushed it from his mind. "Aww, c'mon Ryou, even a nutbag like Bakura knows there are rules. He won't risk the sweet gig he's got with you just for a bit of fun!" Ignoring Yugi's disapproving frown at his description of Bakura, Joey slung an arm around Ryou and proceeded to lead him inside the building. "Let's go find out where we are going on this trip, huh? That'll take your mind off Bakura and we can get in early to choose our bunkmates!" Ryou smiled at Joey, relief playing in his expressive eyes, before his grin faded into a slightly shamefaced disappointment. "Unfortunately I cannot choose my roommate; the school has placed some students on their own for, ah… various reasons. I was told yesterday that I would be bunking alone". The school understandably could not quite understand the situation with Ryou and his Yami- as far as they were concerned, Ryou was deeply disturbed and had a split personality. Ryou seemed content to let them assume as such, explaining that the truth would probably get him locked up. Luckily, Yugi had managed to avoid the same amount of stigma as although Yami could emerge and exist separately to Yugi, he rarely chose to, instead usually swapping with Yugi when he wanted to manifest. Many teachers had merely noticed that Yugi occasionally appeared taller or more confident than they remembered, but rarely did they give it more thought than this. Yami seemed perfectly content to remain as one with Yugi, although when the gang were all together he would sometimes emerge separately to interact with them.

Joey shook his head and looked over at Ryou. "Sorry to hear that, bud. I'm sure you can sneak in and visit Yug' and I in our room when nobody is looking!" Ryou gave him a faint smile before turning serious again, his eyes sweeping the room for Bakura.

"Listen up, everybody! Please gather around!" The students milled about as Mr. Ruthe stepped up onto a milk crate to better see and be heard by the crowd. Joey and Yugi managed to push their way to the front, where they could see that Mr. Ruthe held a rolled up piece of paper in his hand. "As you are all aware, shortly we will be revealing the result of the class trip vote, which will determine where we be going over the summer break". The hallway full of students grew steadily quieter as the last giggles and shouts faded away. "Before we do this however, we must let you know that the sleeping arrangements will not be determined by yourselves. That is to say-" here Mr. Ruthe had to raise his voice as several students had begun to protest- "that is to say, your roommates will be determined by random selection, or a 'lucky dip". Now almost every student was groaning or crying out in protest, including Joey. Yugi remained silent but his excitement had dwindled and he was clearly disappointed by the turn of events.

"Please! Attention, students!" Mr. Ruthe, looking slightly harassed, waved his hands above his head in an attempt to regain order and regain control over the situation. "The room pairings will be chosen by a member of staff and the final list will be posted outside the staffroom door shortly. There is to be no trading or swapping of places, and no exceptions. Of course, girls and boys will remain separate. This is non-negotiable. You will have plenty of opportunity to spend time with your friends during the trip, and so having a different roommate may not be so bad. In fact, you may make a new friend!" Joey rolled his eyes at Yugi, thoroughly put out. _If I wanted more friends I'd have made some,_ Joey thought savagely in his head at Mr. Ruthe, who had hastily climbed down off the milk crate and escaped into the teachers' lounge to retrieve the voting results while the hallway erupted into discussions and cries of dismay from the girls.

A tap on Joey's shoulder brought him out of his reverie and he saw Tristan and Tea standing behind him. Both looked just as unhappy, although Tea less so as she would never have been able to bunk with one of the boys anyway. As always, her gaze shifted to and lingered on Yugi, who true to form was oblivious to her rather obvious attraction for him, as he greeted both Tea and Tristan cheerfully. Suddenly Yugi stiffened and stared blankly about him for a second, before blinking dazedly and standing a little taller. Yami had emerged. "Heya Joey, Yugi" said Tristan, who did a double take at Yami before correcting himself. "Sorry; Yami. Hey. Bummer about the sleeping arrangements, huh?" Joey nodded vigorously while Yami nodded once, his eyes meeting Tea's for a moment. Tea flushed horribly and became very interested in gazing at her shoes. "It is a pity" Yami agreed in his deep serious voice, "however I am sure we will have ample opportunity to see one another during the day. And who knows- it is a lucky dip; perhaps some of us will end up bunking together anyway". The others nodded and Joey was suddenly hopeful again. Sometimes Yami's deep, measured personality could calm him even more than Yugi could.

Finally Mr. Ruthe emerged from the teachers' lounge and without flourish pinned a piece of paper to the notice board on the wall. Following this he pinned a second, longer piece of paper next to the first before turning and scarpering back into the room. The students surged forward to read the notice, Joey and the others at the front of the line. For a few seconds there was silence as those in front read the voting results; this was shattered as Tristan yelled out, "What?! A cruise ship? Who the hell voted for the cruise ship!" then all was pandemonium as whoops of joy, cries of protest and requests for Tristan to repeat the result rang out. Joey scanned the piece of paper quickly, and sure enough, the winning class trip vote was for a two-week cruise on board a huge cruise liner! A momentary wave of disappointment at not going to a theme park was quickly pushed aside as the broader group's excitement washed over him- two weeks of free food, free activities and plenty of swimming! It wasn't his first choice, but it was a damned good second, Joey mused. Beside him, Tea clapped her hands together with joy and Yami merely shrugged, quirking an eyebrow. _It is what it is, Joey,_ his look conveyed. Joey grinned back at him and moved aside to check out the second piece of paper; obviously the random draw of students' names for accommodation had already been completed. Joey scanned the list, noting names that were together and those with weird combinations. He chuckled when he saw that Yugi was bunking with Duke; that would be interesting. He supposed that they would probably be seeing a lot of Yami in the upcoming days; competition always brought him out. He noticed _Ryou Bakura- solo bunk_ written below the list of partners in an untidy scrawl and felt a stab of pity for the poor quiet lad. Another three students had been given solo rooms, and Joey recognised all their names as those of school bullies, except for one girl who was simply allergic to almost everything and was incredibly difficult to live with.

Joey did one full scan of the list but could not see his name partnered with anybody. He read again, carefully, but neither he nor Yugi could spot Joey's name. Beginning to panic a little now, Joey moved aside to let others view the list and knocked on the staff room door. What if his grant had not gone through? What if they didn't let him go on the trip? Joey would normally make plans for the summer break to avoid being home as much as possible, but had not done so this time in anticipation of going away with his class! Finally Mr. Ruthe yanked the door open, looking flushed and irritable. He was clearly expecting to face a horde of furious and disappointed students, and appeared to be slightly surprised to see only Joey standing in front of him. Pushing his small spectacles up his nose, Mr. Ruthe stared dimly at Joey. "Mr. Wheeler? What can I do for you?" Joey gestured to the name list that had now been ripped from the board and being handed about amongst the students to read. "Mr. Ruthe, my name doesn't appear on the list. Was there a problem with my financial support grant?" Mr. Ruthe frowned and stepped further out of the doorway, rubbing his chin. "Wheeler? No, no, I recall that everything was in order for your paperwork, it all went through nicely. Yes. No there is no reason for you to be not on the list- you must have just been missed in the draw. Terribly sorry Wheeler; well, no harm done! I mean, all the students have now been paired off, so you will not be able to bunk with anybody, but there are plenty of spare rooms available. You can bunk solo, Mr. Wheeler. Yes, that'll do nicely! Just like our young Mr. Ryou here!" Mr. Ruthe beamed at Ryou who had appeared beside Joey, the crumpled and slightly torn list of names clutched in his hand. Before Joey had a chance to object, Mr. Ruthe took the list from Ryou and hastily scribbled _Joey Wheeler- solo bunk_ below Ryou's own name. "Well, that's done then isn't it! See you all on Monday at the wharf- letters have been sent to your families that contain all the details for what you will be required to bring and what time to meet your classmates on Monday. And no, Mister Wheeler-" Joey had opened his mouth to speak- "your friends are already partnered off and so they cannot swap and move into your room. Good day!" The door closed firmly yet gently in Joey's face.

 _All on my own for two weeks? He can't be serious! At least Ryou has Bakura to talk to, or fight with anyway. This is going to be the worst trip ever._ Joey scuffed his shoes as he made his slow way to his first class. _At least there's one upshot- I don't have to bunk with Kaiba!_ The thought pleased him.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Pew pew! Chapter 3 done. Apologies for the very lengthy Chapter 2- I will try to keep them a bit shorter for readability from now on.**_

 _ **I hope you are enjoying it so far, it will be a bit slow to develop but hopefully will be worth the wait. I welcome any feedback you may have, good or bad (as long as the bad is constructive!)**_

Joey arrived at the wharf bright and early on Monday morning. As per his information slip, the ship was already open for check-in and would be departing at 10am sharp. Many students had already arrived and were milling about, chatting with friends, hugging family, and looking for a place to leave their luggage. It was hectic and the excitement in the air clung to Joey like static. Taking a deep breath of the salty ocean air, Joey smiled and for the first time in almost a week, the prospect of bunking alone did not seem so bad. At least he could walk around naked! Grinning to himself, Joey made his way to the sign-up point where several volunteer teachers were looking distinctly frazzled already. Taking note of which teachers would be supervising the cruise, Joey was pleased to see that Mrs. Borrin was not in attendance, nor was the mean mathematics teacher, Mr. Lang. In fact, it looked like the class had struck it lucky; most of the teachers coming along were not big on punishments or shouting. Joey checked in, and as he could not see any of his friends yet, decided to linger around the sign-up desk until they arrived. Idly he pulled an apple out of his backpack and began to munch on it, enjoying the act of people-watching and eavesdropping on the teachers and leaning against a pole soaking up the merry sunshine.

It was several minutes later that Joey was pulled from a contented lull by the sound of heavy footsteps pounding the deck and one of the teachers muttered "now what is _he_ doing here?"  
Joey's curiosity got the better of him and he moved forward to peer around the pole he was leaning on to catch a better look. The teachers were looking quite tense and all staring at the newcomer, who was striding toward them, briefcase in hand and coat billowing out behind him.

Seto Kaiba.

Joey gave an involuntary grimace as he took in Kaiba's appearance. Of course the uptight prick couldn't be seen in anything other than his most impressive CEO corporate wear; never mind the fact that they were about to board a ship for crying out loud. Joey was still unsure of why the teachers were so tense, until one of them cleared their throat and stuttered to the approaching teen, "Mr. Kaiba! We- we didn't expect you here today Sir! I don't believe you signed up for the group class vacation?" Joey gave a little shrug of surprise, but wasn't terribly shocked. Kaiba avoided all group or class activities as much as possible and disdained having to interact with everybody at school, including the teachers. Joey shifted a little closer to hear Kaiba's response.

"A change in situation has resulted in my needing to attend the class vacation". Kaiba's glare dared the teachers to probe any further.

"Ah, indeed, of course. Well, unfortunately all the rooms have been taken…" Ms. Hennessy quailed under the furious glare he trained on her, "but- but I'm sure we can figure something out, Mr. Kaiba! There are several rooms with only one occupant, I'm sure we could put you with one of those students-"

"I refuse to stay in a room with anybody else; move one of the other students. I will not sleep next to a lunatic or a hygienically challenged female or anybody else. Make it happen, now." Joey rolled his eyes at how dramatic Kaiba was being. He considered offering to move in with Ryou but thought better of it; why make richboy's life any easier? Plus he wasn't entirely keen to share a room with Bakura either.

Suddenly a flash of light caught Joey's attention; Yugi had arrived, wearing his golden necklace. Joey decided to leave Kaiba to maul the teachers; from the sounds of it Ms. Hennessy was showing some backbone and refusing to move other students to accommodate Kaiba- he either share with someone or remain behind. As Joey began pushing his way through the crowds of students to where Yugi was standing uncertainly, Kaiba's voice began rising in indignant rage. Joey chuckled to himself. Of course moneybags would eventually get his way; he always did. But Joey enjoyed the misery that the teacher was dealing him nonetheless.

"Yug'! Over here!" Joey waved to his friend as he made his way over.

"Joey! Thank goodness I found somebody I know! Look, people are starting to head aboard; shall we go up as well?" Joey smiled fondly at Yugi, who hated being late for anything. Despite the ship not leaving for another half hour, he was probably anxious about missing the departure. "Sure Yug'. I wonder if your roommate is aboard yet." Joey managed to not look petulant, barely, but Yugi must have picked up on his mood anyway. "Aw, it'll be ok Joey! I'll come find you as soon as I'm settled in, alright? We can go explore the deck and check out all the activities on offer!" Joey nodded glumly, his earlier joy evaporated. Together he and Yugi boarded the ship along with the mass of other students and passengers, craning their necks of a sign pointing them where to go. "Hey Yugi, what room are you in?" Joey squinted at his access ticket- he was in room S89-A. Wherever that was! Yugi peered at his own slip. "I am in room R971-B. I think I'm one level below you? This ship is so confusing!" Finally the two boys found a map on the wall showing the layout of the ship- Yugi was right, he was an entire level below Joey. "Ok, so this info slip says we have to unpack in our rooms and then meet the coordinator on the top deck conference room at 10:10am. That means we only have fifteen minutes to find our rooms and unpack! We'd better get moving!" With that Yugi began hastening Joey toward one of the large elevators in the hall. "Yug', relax!" Joey laughed as Yugi pulled him by the sleeve to hurry up. "We got plenty of time! How hard can it be to find a room on a ship!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi guys! Thanks for being patient and waiting on this next chapter. As I originally said, this story won't move as quickly as some you are probably used to reading, but I hope to make it worth the wait. There is a reason for everything I do/write!**

 **Thanks to JustCallMeLucie for your comments and suggestions, they are appreciated. Thanks also to Kris Awesomeness for your reviews/comments.**

 **I hope you enjoy the next chapter- things are going to start getting more personal from here.**

 **Chapter 4**

Joey cursed. He was lost.

He had ridden down to Yugi's floor with the shorter boy, with the pretence of checking out Yugi's accommodation. In reality, Joey had been avoiding finding his own empty room where he would be sleeping alone for the next two weeks. After exchanging some slightly tense pleasantries with Duke (he had not quite forgiven him for the dog costume incident), Joey returned to the elevators and travelled up a floor to the level where his room was.

Or so he thought.

 _I must have hopped in the wrong elevator!_ Joey thought frantically. This level appeared to have no bedrooms on it at all and a great number of what looked like staff in stiff white suits kept striding past him, staring with vaguely disapproving looks at the increasingly flustered Joey. Eventually Joey plucked up the nerve to ask a short plump woman pushing a supply cart for directions to his room, and ten minutes later, he was inserting his key card into the correct door. It was well past 10:10am when he was supposed to be up on deck meeting up with the teachers and other students, but Joey didn't care. _There's no way I'm leaving this room again after all the effort I went through to find it! I'll just ask Yug' later what I missed._

The room door swung open and Joey could only gape. It was huge! This was no room- it was a suite. An enormous fluffy Queen-sized bed dominated the centre of the room with a smaller single bed tucked away in the corner. There was a desk and a fridge and, much to Joey's delight, an enormous flat-screen TV! With a whoop of joy, Joey dropped his bag and took a running leap onto the Queen bed. Settling into the multiple layers of soft fluffy blankets, Joey let out a sigh of contentment. He was still a little disappointed about bunking all alone, but hey, he figured, at least he was bunking solo in _style!_ Closing his eyes and listening to the waves lapping the sides of the great ship, Joey thought with some satisfaction of the nights he planned to spend watching TV on this fantastically comfortable bed, clearing out the minibar and not having to speak to anybody!

At that moment, the toilet flushed.

Joey sprang up, looking about wildly. Did that noise come from _his_ room? He strained his ears, hoping to pick up on another sound. Perhaps the cleaners hadn't finished making up his room? Maybe they were in there cleaning the toilet and preparing to leave him a small mint chocolate on the way out? As Joey began to relax a little, the sound of the faucet in the bathroom turning on made him jump again. Was somebody washing their hands in his bathroom? What was going on? Joey slowly and quietly slid off the bed to his feet, moving cautiously toward the bathroom. As he reached for the handle of the bathroom, the door suddenly swung open, startling Joey and sending him stumbling backward in surprise. That shock however was nothing compared to what he felt when he saw who was standing in the doorway, staring at him with just as much surprise.

It was Kaiba.

Joey blinked at the brunette, uncomprehending what he was seeing in front of him. Kaiba however was faster off the mark.

"What the _hell_ are you doing in my room, Wheeler?" Kaiba's blue eyes burned with anger as he advanced out of the bathroom toward Joey.

"I- this… this is my room! What are _you_ doing here Kaiba?" Joey spluttered, still trying to get a grasp on the situation. Kaiba opened his mouth furiously to reply but was cut off by a knocking on the open door frame. A tall thin-lipped woman peered into the room, looking between Kaiba and Joey. her hair was pulled up into the strictest bun Joey had ever seen.

"Boys, why were you not at the start-of-vacation meeting up on deck earlier? I believe you were given express instructions to meet your teachers and fellow students in the conference room. This is not a good way to begin our trip, now is it?" She pushed some thin wire glasses further up her nose and peered sternly at them both.

"I got lost, Miss, sorry." Joey stepped in quickly. "But what I don't know is why this-" Joey bit off the word he was about to use to describe Kaiba- "why Kaiba is in my room. I'm supposed to be bunking alone! Can you tell him to get lost so I can unpack in peace?" Kaiba glared at Joey while he spoke, and then swiped a hand sideways to silence him and draw the teacher's attention.

"I joined the sign-up for this vacation late. I spoke to the woman at the front desk and we arranged for me to stay in a suite. I was not supposed to have a roommate. It was all organised."

"Yes, well, for that, unfortunately we could not move Mr. Wheeler as there were no spare rooms available and no suitable roommates for Mr. Wheeler to bunk with. As you were delayed in signing up for this vacation, Mr. Kaiba, I am afraid there is no other course of action but to bunk you with Mr. Wheeler. Perhaps if you had approached your teachers earlier, this would not have been an issue." Joey could not help but admire the teacher's backbone, as Kaiba's glare was simply marvellous; a mixture of pure malice and seething rage. But she stood her ground firmly and simply gave Kaiba the same stern look. Kaiba stepped toward her, his fists clenched, still gripping the bunched hand towel in one hand. Joey took the opportunity to move away slightly now that Kaiba's attention was no longer focused on him.

"This is ridiculous! A disgrace! How _dare_ you force me to share a room with somebody else! Do you not realise who I am? How busy I am? I need my own space and I cannot function properly if I have to babysit this imbecile as well as maintain my work load from afar! You will not hear the end of this; I will ensure this costs you your job!" Joey crossed his arms over his chest and watched with some amusement as the teacher merely turned heel and strode away, followed by a furious Kaiba, still shouting and gesturing madly at her retreating back. The silence in the room was profound following the exit of the angry CEO. Joey could hear his shouts echoing down the hall.

Joey wandered back over to the bed and flopped down on his back into the soft blankets. He knew he should be furious at the course of events leading to him bunking with Kaiba, and while he was far from happy about, he couldn't bring himself to get too worked up over it at the moment. In fact, Kaiba seemed far more distressed than Joey, and so he resolved to make the most of it. As far as he was concerned, the more he could discomfort old Moneybags, the better! It was with a fair amount of smugness then that Joey peeled back the many layers of sheets and blankets on the Queen bed and settled in to watch a little TV.

A short while later, Joey heard rapid footsteps approach and Kaiba re-entered the room, his face red and his mouth little more than a thin line. He stopped dead at the sight of Joey propped comfortably against the bedhead, sheets pulled up to his waist and arms behind his head while he watched cartoons.

"Hey, Kaiba! Looks like we're roomies, huh? Seems like money can't buy everything now can it!" Joey called out to the CEO, giving him a cheeky wave from his position on the bed and his biggest and most antagonising grin. "You don't mind if I take the Queen bed, do ya?" Kaiba grit his teeth together and strode toward Joey angrily.

"Get off there you idiot. If I have to share a room with you for two weeks straight, I get the larger bed."

"No way!" Joey cried. "I claimed it first, fair and square. Besides, I didn't think the undead slept." Joey grinned winningly at the increasingly aggravated brunette.

"GET OUT!" Kaiba bellowed. Joey was a little taken aback at his strong reaction- it wasn't the way the usually composed CEO responded when goaded. But Joey wasn't going to back down. He had had enough of Kaiba treating him like scum, and he was perfectly within his rights to sleep in the Queen bed, dammit! "Make me, asshole!" Joey retorted, turning his attention back to the TV, pointedly ignoring Kaiba. After all, what could Kaiba really do to him?

So it was that Joey was utterly taken aback when Kaiba's fist connected with his jaw.

 _It wasn't a soft punch either_ , Joey thought ruefully some time later. The force of it had pushed Joey sideways in the bed and he had fallen to the floor with a cry, dragging a tangle of blankets and sheets with him. Joey had lay there, stunned, with one eye watering furiously (he was _not_ crying), as Kaiba came around the bed to stand at his feet.

"Listen you filthy _mongrel_ , if I have to put up with you for two whole weeks, we are going to do this my way. So that means keep the hell out of my way, don't distract me when I'm working, and for the last time, _get out of the goddamned bed_." With that, Kaiba had turned around and strode out of the room without a backward glance.

Joey decided to move to the single bed after all. Not because Kaiba had told him to, but because he valued his teeth far too much to risk the brunette going crazy on him again. Besides, that Queen bed was too big, he decided.


	5. Chapter 5

**This chapter is slightly longer- I try to finish them at natural breaks in the storyline, which is why they vary in length from page to page.**

 **I hope you are all enjoying it so far! As you can probably tell, there is a fair bit going on that has not come to light yet. But now I can sink my teeth into the nitty gritty ;) thank you for reading this far!**

 **Chapter 5**

"He has gone too far this time." Yami's eyes snapped with a cold anger as he inspected Joey's spectacular blossoming black eye. Joey was not surprised that Yugi's soul partner had emerged; while he wasn't as close with the rest of the gang as little Yugi was, he was nonetheless intensely protective of his friends. After Kaiba had stormed out, Joey had crawled onto his single bed and sat staring at the wall for a long time. Eventually he had been startled out of his reverie by the arrival of Yugi; and, once he saw Joey's black eye, Yami had emerged as well.

"Aw, it ain't so bad Yami, he just caught me by surprise is all. I coulda kicked his ass if he'd given me some warning!" Joey attempted a weak grin at Yami and Yugi, who was lingering nearby with a concerned expression on his face.

"I am serious Joey; this is unacceptable behaviour. I may have to have a word with our CEO friend", Yami murmured grimly, staring over Joey's head at the wall behind. His eyes flashed a deep purple, almost red, and Joey wondered idly if Yami knew that his eyes changed colour with his moods. Then he shook his head to clear it and turned back to the duo.

"I appreciate that Yug', Yami. But don't bother. He seems- different. He was real mad, madder than I've seen him before. I think I just pushed him a bit too far. I'll just keep outta his way- at least I've got you guys to chill with! If he wants to be a crybaby about a bed, let him. Now c'mon! What's first up for today? Waddya wanna do first?" Joey sat up a bit straighter, looking between the two boys with excitement. He wanted to swim! Wait, no- he wanted to _eat!_ As if by agreement his stomach gave a great rumble of hunger, making Yami twitch his head to the side like an alert dog. Yugi peered over Yami's shoulder, his face an apologetic mask.

"I'm sorry, Joey, but you have to go see Ms. Hennessy first; you missed orientation this morning". While Yugi spoke, Yami continued to stare off into the distance, his mouth a grim hard line. He was obviously very unhappy about Joey's request not to confront Kaiba.

Joey felt a jagged lump of anger boil up inside him at the idea of having to attend the orientation meeting while all his friends ran off to have fun. Just his luck! And most likely Kaiba would be there too as he also missed the meeting. Joey sighed with frustration. This vacation was supposed to be _fun_ , a chance to escape the misery of home and school for a few weeks, and so far he'd been forced to bunk with his greatest enemy and had been punched in the face! To top it all off he now had to miss out on the rest of the day's activities to attend an orientation. Joey fumed at his foul luck and hoped that the remainder of the vacation wouldn't suck this badly.

Joey pulled open the heavy white door to the conference room on deck. He had taken his time, allowing himself a chance to take in the splendour of the ship around him as he walked to the deck room. The ship was enormous, with more people aboard than he'd ever seen clustered together in one place. Joey had since learned that the school had obtained all the rooms on a single level of the ship for the students to stay in, with the exception of the few solo kids, who had to stay in the leftover suites one floor above. So, as a matter of fact, Joey was staying in luxury compared to his classmates.

It was just a pity that luxury came with the heavy cost that was living with Kaiba.

As Joey's eyes adjusted to the dim interior, he could make out a couple of figures slouched on chairs in the middle of the room. Most of the students looked sheepish or irritated, but one girl looked distinctly green around the mouth and Joey suspected she may have been too seasick to attend orientation the first time. To Joey's mild surprise, Ryou was also in attendance, his white mane of hair distinctive even from afar. Joey sighed quietly with relief when the imposing profile of Kaiba could not be seen anywhere. Obviously he'd bullied his way out of attending! As Joey began to pull the door back closed behind him, a sudden jarring made him spin around, coming face to face with the object of his thoughts.

Kaiba still looked faintly angry; however his features had composed themselves into a mostly impassive mask since his outburst, and he appeared much calmer. Joey was more familiar with the small signs of Kaiba's foul moods, usually being the one to initiate them, so he could see that Kaiba was trying hard to mask his irritation. Kaiba's deeply blue eyes swept the room dismissively before settling on Joey's face, taking in his still-growing black eye. His calm expression faded slightly and a smirk took its place.

"Now the doggie can have a name: _Patch_ ", Kaiba sneered, pushing roughly past Joey and stalking to the centre of the room. Joey glared at his retreating back but did not push the issue; he didn't relish the idea of a second black eye. Kaiba pulled up a chair and lowered himself gracefully into it, crossing his legs ankle-to-knee and his arms tightly across his chest. He glared about at the others between his fringe of brown hair and exuded the perfect amount of malice. All the other students except Ryou shifted awkwardly in their seats and moved slightly away from the sullen figure behind them. Joey rolled his eyes and sauntered over to sit beside Ryou. He noticed that the other boy was looking slightly frazzled.

"Heya Ryou, why did you miss orientation? Didja get lost as well?" Ryou began to nervously twist a piece of cloth between his fingers, a calming technique Joey had seen him use many times in the past.

"Hi, Joey. I didn't actually miss orientation- Bakura separated himself from me and began to run amok on deck. One of the teachers spotted him and assumed I had skipped the meeting. I tried to explain I was here the whole time but naturally, they didn't believe me". Ryou's mouth twisted into a faint frown and Joey had a feeling that he was in more trouble than he let on for 'skipping' the orientation. Joey shook his head; Bakura was going to make this a _very_ long vacation for poor Ryou!

"Sorry to hear that, bud- sounds like Nutbags is gonna do his best to ruin this trip for ya, huh? Let me know if ya want me to kick his ass". Joey winked at the tired boy, who ducked his head with a faint smile so that his fringe covered his eyes. Joey was about to turn toward the front of the room where the teacher had appeared, when suddenly Ryou gave a low hiss, startling Joey's attention back.

" _You can_ _ **kiss**_ _my ass for all the difference it'll make, mortal"_. Ryou glared at Joey between his fringe and his hair seemed to stand on end like a dog with its hackles up. " _I'll rip out your bones and dance with your empty sack of a body before you get close to even touching me"_. Bakura had clearly heard Joey's comment and had taken over Ryou to make his point. Joey swallowed down the faint lump of apprehension that he always felt when Ryou's other personality emerged; Bakura was about as predictable as a dog with rabies, but far less cuddly. Joey put his palm up toward Bakura in a warding-off gesture that was also placating.

"Calm down Bakura, I was just kidding, alright? But can ya take it easy on poor Ryou? It's only day one and the poor lad looks as though you've put him through boot camp! Here's a fun idea- try _not_ being a pain in the ass for a while?" Bakura just bared his teeth at Joey in response. Kaiba murmured from behind them, "maybe you should listen to your own advice, mongrel." Joey swung around in his seat, ignoring Bakura's sniggers, and raised his fist at Kaiba.

"You, me, outside, Moneybags. I'm sick of your crap and you won't take me by surprise this time, ya coward". Kaiba simply raised an eyebrow and smirked at Joey as though he were an overexcited toddler, ignoring Joey's threat. Just as Joey was contemplating throwing a shoe at Kaiba's smug head, the teacher tapped a microphone a few times, drawing the students' attention and interrupting Joey's train of thought. Beside him, Bakura glared once more at Joey before giving a great all-over shiver. Once he finished, Ryou was left blinking in a slightly dazedly way up at the teacher on the raised lectern.

"Attention, students! You are all here because you missed orientation this morning. Whilst I understand that some of you had legitimate reasons," she looked down with some sympathy at the sick girl whose green tinge had strengthened since the ship had lurched a minute ago- "others here simply felt it was unnecessary to attend. This is unacceptable and sets a very bad precedent for the rest of the vacation! This orientation is designed to ensure yours and everybody else's safety and comfort for the next two weeks and as such you will not be allowed to leave until we have completed the brief." Joey gave a faint groan and sank further into his seat. It was going to be a long afternoon.

The teacher's monotone drone had faded into the back of Joey's mind, allowing him to sink into a stupor of sorts. He had begun staring at the hideous pattern in the material covering the chairs in front of him and was entertaining himself mildly by trying to find shapes in the design. He had just begun to formulate in his mind the shape of a T-Rex amongst the patterns when a shrill ringing dragged him unceremoniously back to the present. Kaiba immediately fished the phone out of his coat pocket, however after glancing at the caller I.D he proceeded to press 'ignore' on the call and crossed his arms back across his chest. Joey was surprised; Kaiba's phone often went off in class and he never failed to answer it. This was probably the first time Joey had ever seen him ignore a call. Kaiba pointedly looked at the teacher to continue, who had been slightly thrown off by the interruption.

"Erm, yes, well, as I was saying before Mr. Kaiba- er, the interruption, that concludes the final section of our orientation. I will shortly pass around slips for you to sign to acknowledge that you have sat this session and understood all your responsibilities and-" Again a shrill ringing emitted from Kaiba's top pocket. The CEO did not even check the caller I.D this time and continued to sit in a stony silence while the ringing echoed around the seated students. His face tightened slightly and Joey had the impression that he was once again on the brink of rage. All because of a phone call? As the ringing went on and on, some people risked a curious glance at Kaiba while others shifted in their seats. Ryou made a low growling noise. Eventually Joey had had enough and he threw his arms in the air.

"For God's sake, if yer not gonna answer your phone, richboy, can ya at least turn it off? We all get that you're rich and important but that's also really freaking annoying! This session is stupid enough without you adding to the mix!" Ms. Hennessy looked slightly affronted but did not reprimand Joey; the ringing had obviously annoyed her too.

Kaiba didn't reply to Joey's outburst, but at that moment the phone finally rang out and the group was suddenly cast in a ringing silence. Joey lowered his arms and shook his head.  
"Jeez, it's like sitting next to a robot. I dunno how Mokuba puts up with you, seriously. Poor fella must be sick to death of-" The rest of Joey's wisecrack was cut short as Kaiba leapt to his feet and pulled Joey out of his chair by fistful of hair. Joey bellowed in surprise and pain and began pummelling the brunette, who was striking every inch of Joey he could reach with his spare fist.

"Stop it! You're not animals! STOP IT!" Ms. Hennessy was trying in vain to control the situation, but she did not want to get too close to the brawl and stood to the side, wringing her hands together. Bakura, always attracted by strife, reclined comfortably in his chair as the other students scrambled away from the scuffle. His delighted laugher was the only sound that penetrated Joey's mind besides the grunts and growls that Kaiba was emitting as they wrestled and struck at each other. Neither boy was holding back and the blows that rained down on Joey's ribs and face were savage. Joey could feel his already injured eye closing further shut as it was struck repeatedly.

Finally the boys tired and pulled back from one another, scrambling to their feet and standing metres apart. Their fellow students milled about with looks ranging from concern to vindictive glee (in Bakura's case) and Ms. Hennessy took the opportunity to quickly step forward and place herself between Joey and Kaiba. Both were breathing hard and looking battered, but their glares stayed firmly trained on the other. Ms. Hennessy's voice crackled with anger and pinned the boys on the spot.

"That is quite enough. I cannot _believe_ the level of childishness you two have demonstrated today. If this ship were not already out of port I would have you removed. Everybody, please leave; take a slip and return it signed to me after dinner tonight. Mr. Kaiba and Mr. Wheeler will stay here." Ms. Hennessy drew a shaky breath as the rest of the students filed out. Bakura took the longest to depart, giving Joey and Kaiba a lingering sinister smile as he slipped out of the room.

"Right," Ms. Hennessy snapped once Bakura had closed the door behind him, "this has gone far enough. You have both behaved like small children and so it is only fitting that you are treated as such. For the remainder of this vacation you two are to complete all the group events and teamwork building activities together. Neither of you is to partner up with any other student until you can demonstrate a level of corporation and integrity that I would expect from any other friends." Joey stared with dismay at the teacher. _Partners? With Kaiba? In EVERY activity? FRIENDS?!_ It was his worst nightmare come to life. Kaiba did not respond but glared at the ground. His earlier rage seemed to have left him and his bearing would seem almost defeated if it weren't for his glower.

"As well as this, I expect a 2,000 word essay at the end of week one from both of you based on the other. I expect you to speak to each other, _civilly_ , and ask each other questions until you have enough information to write your essay. Now get back to your room- there will be no activities for either of you this afternoon. Let's see if you can't begin to act like mature adults." With that, Ms. Hennessy spun on her heel and clacked quickly out of the room, leaving Joey and Kaiba standing all alone.

The door banged shut and its echo bounced about the room faintly. Kaiba and Joey stood rooted to the spot, each breathing heavily, with eyes locked on the other's.


	6. Chapter 6

**Probably time for another disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-oh! if that were the case I'd own much nicer clothes ;)**

 **Thanks again to all those who have commented, it warms the cockles of my heart. I particularly have enjoyed the PM's with guesses from people as to where my story will lead. I love it! I like to see where people's thoughts are taking them, and let's be honest, I've gotten some great ideas. So thanks to you all :)**

 **C** **hapter 6**

Joey stormed back to his cabin, pushing roughly past his waiting group of friends without offering an explanation. He knew he had probably hurt their feelings, particularly Yugi, but he was in no mood to answer questions and be gawked at like a zoo animal. His lip had split along one side and was bleeding slightly, and his eye and jaw on one side were a mess. Kaiba did not look much better; his normally well groomed hair was in disarray and one of his coat sleeves had been ripped. The two boys strode angrily together, but pointedly separate. Joey's head was clamouring with thoughts however his overall feeling was one of confusion. Kaiba had never been one to rise in anger, preferring instead to respond with sharp barbs and sneaky underhanded comments. He had always maintained the pretence of being too high and mighty to bother getting emotional over the likes of Joey. This new, angry Kaiba was unexpected and disturbing.

 _He must have more going on than just me annoying him,_ Joey thought. _And he's just taking out his frustrations on me like I did with Yug' the other day!_ Joey resolved not to give Kaiba any more reasons to want to thump him, but he also refused to be bullied or pushed around by the taller brunette. If he was to spend the next 2 weeks with Kaiba it'd have to be tolerable for them both!

It was a tense few hours until dinner. Kaiba did his utmost to ignore Joey, setting his computer up at the desk and taking numerous business calls all afternoon. Joey remained on his single bed, shuffling his deck and periodically staring longingly at the TV which Kaiba had forbidden he turn on. Every time Joey sighed or moved too noisily, Kaiba would turn and glare. It was becoming quite disconcerting and Joey was beginning to wonder if he would actually be allowed to get off the bed. Finally a reprieve came as Kaiba's phone rang. Kaiba glared at the I.D screen before snatching the phone off the table top and stalking out to the small private balcony attached to their suite. Sliding the thick glass door shut with pointed force, the young CEO turned his back on Joey as he took the call. Joey took the opportunity to slip off his bed and race into the bathroom. As he stood under the steaming water, Joey let the day's worries and pain wash away and he felt considerably more cheerful as he emerged in a thick fluffy towel. He allowed himself a brief moment of humorous disappointment at not being allowed to wander about naked before dressing himself in the bathroom.

When Joey emerged, Kaiba was still standing on the enclosed balcony, leaning against the wall and staring out to sea, the hand holding his phone still plastered to his ear. As Joey turned away to collect his favourite green jacket from atop his suitcase, a movement and muffled voice caught his attention. Kaiba appeared to be shouting, his free hand gesturing furiously. Even through the twice-thickened glass Joey could hear that his voice was raised and he was clearly having a heated discussion. Joey was tempted to eavesdrop to find out what was making the CEO so angry, but decided against causing further strife that day- if Kaiba were to turn around and find Joey listening in, the ship's crew would never find his body. Instead Joey slipped silently out of the room and made his way to the dining hall above deck. With some grim cheer he recalled that Ms. Hennessy had not specified that he and Kaiba were eat meals together, and so Joey decided to make the most of the loophole. He had some apologising to do as well for his earlier actions.

"Joey! Over here!" Joey turned at the sound of his name and spotted Yugi practically jumping on his chair, one arm raised in an attempt to get the blonde's attention. Even standing, he was not much taller than the surrounding seated students. Joey grinned widely at Yugi and pushed his way over to join him and the others. To their credit, despite a few curious glances, everybody seemed to have decided not to pepper Joey with questions about his fight with Kaiba, which Joey deeply appreciated. Pulling up a spare chair, Joey leaned back and stretched his arms behind his head. For the first time since that morning he felt cheerful; the gang always that effect on him. He noted with some interest that Bakura had joined the group at the table individually to Ryou, who was looking much less stressed than he had earlier that day. Bakura lifted a lip at Joey in a silent growl before tearing into his T-bone steak. Joey noted with faint disgust that he did not use a knife or fork.

"Boy, am I glad to see you guys! Yer wouldn't believe the crapola of a day I've had!" Joey cried as he began loading up his plate with various items from the shared options in the centre of the table. "Not only am I bunking with Kaiba, but we got in a fight at the orientation and now we have to partner in all the group activities- for the rest of the vacation!" Nodding sagely at the suitably horrified and pitying faces of his friends, Joey began stuffing enormous portions of mashed potato into his mouth. "Itsh a fugging joke!" He quickly swallowed and paused between piling his fork with more food. "I dunno how I'm going to tolerate two weeks with the guy, seriously. He's like a robot. The most un-cool robot in the world, who only works and sulks and bullies people. He's the biggest friggin' buzzkill…" Joey's rant trailed off as he noticed the gang staring with some surprise over his shoulder. Turning, his eyes were immediately drawn to the figure of Kaiba standing behind him, arm crossed in his customary signature stance.

"Careful now Wheeler, or you may hurt my feelings." Kaiba gave a smirk and moved closer to the table. He had obviously washed since Joey had left the room as his hair was still slightly damp and mussed. Glancing about at the rest of the crew, Joey could see why they were gawking at the CEO. He had never looked so… normal. He had changed into a white button up long sleeve shirt and plain black jeans, and while the material and cut of the clothes was obviously the highest quality, it was the first time that Kaiba had looked anything other than imposingly arrogant. The white shirt sleeves had been rolled up loosely to the elbow and Joey couldn't help but notice that Kaiba's arms were quite muscly in a wiry way. The whole outfit looked good on Kaiba and he looked like any normal young man, not the aloof CEO of Kaiba Corp. A few bruises were blossoming on Kaiba's arms and across his chest and neck; however he looked much better off than Joey likely did.

Joey realised he had been gaping at Kaiba, and so quickly closed his mouth and hunted about for something to say. The entire gang had been quiet for far too long and Kaiba's smirk had faded into cross confusion. Before Joey could comment however, Kaiba gestured vaguely toward the far end of the dining hall, where Joey realised Ms. Hennessy was standing with hands on hips, watching them closely. "I was reminded on my way in here that you and I are to sit together; apparently this extends to meal times as well" Kaiba said, rolling his eyes almost conspiratorially. "If you're done staring at me like a freak, move over so I can join you." This comment snapped Joey out of his surprise and he shook his head to clear it. _Don't lose focus,_ he chided himself. _He may LOOK like a functioning human being but don't forget, this is Seto Kaiba. A snake is still a snake; even it's a well-dressed snake._

Dinner was awkward. The gang had slowly begun to thaw out in Kaiba's presence, although the flow of conversation was quite stilted, particularly as Kaiba refused to be drawn into conversation. The atmosphere had been so tense at first that Yami had emerged and sat himself between Yugi and the CEO, effectively blocking the smaller boy from Kaiba's view. Bakura, who had been present the entire time, seemed to relish the awkwardness and frequently kept leaning across the table to loudly interrupt with a question for Kaiba, or simply flick peas in his direction. Ryou had clearly decided to let Bakura be and had engaged Tea in a debate about ethics. Despite the spirited discussion, Tea's eyes constantly flicked toward Yugi and Yami and she unconsciously fiddled with her hair while she spoke. Yami spoke little and ate less, preferring instead to watch his Aibou eat, and occasionally turn to murmur at Joey from across Kaiba. Once or twice his eyes met Tea's, making her blush furiously, and Joey idly wondered if something was developing between the two.

Joey meanwhile was in a world of pain, and not all of it was physical. The tension he felt radiating from Kaiba made him in turn jumpy, and he was hyper aware of the sullen brunette sitting beside him. Once or twice Kaiba would reach for something on the table, his shirt sleeve brushing Joey's, and the blonde would startle badly. He felt certain that any misstep would cause Kaiba to begin punching him again. In an attempt to calm down and ignore the unsettlingly impassive CEO beside him, Joey tuned in to the discussion Tristan and Yugi were having across the table.

"Are you nervous about James coming to visit?" Yugi was asking, his fork hovering between plate and mouth with nothing on it. Yami gave a fond smile at Yugi and removed the fork from his grip. Yugi barely noticed, focussed as he was on Tristan.

"Yeh, I mean, it'll be weird, meeting a family member I didn't even know I had, but we've chatted on the phone and he seems ok" Tristan replied, shrugging slightly. He had recently discovered that he had an aunty and cousin he had never met due to family estrangement, and his cousin James had arranged to come and visit him. Being the same age, they had a lot in common. Yugi sighed and shook his head.

"I always wanted a brother or sister. I mean, growing up. It would have nice to have somebody else to talk to. Gramps did his best of course, and I learned to talk to customers in the shop, but before you guys came along I was pretty lonely at times." Joey felt a pang of sympathy for his friend, who had been virtually friendless before he and Tristan decided he was worth knowing. By now most of the table had tuned in to the conversation and Yugi shifted awkwardly in his seat, disliking the scrutiny. Yami shifted too, although he appeared more distressed than the others by what Yugi had said. His eyes had dimmed slightly to something more like lavender in colour.

Joey decided to draw the attention from Yugi a bit. "Yer right Yug', having siblings is great fun. I mean, I know I didn't get to see a lot of Serenity growing up, but now that we are both getting older, it's great! We can tell each other anything and spend all day together without arguing". Yugi and Tea nodded along enthusiastically. "I mean, you'll always have us, Yug', I hope you know that?" The smaller boy nodded for him to go on. "But I got a special place in my heart for Serenity. A bit like you and Yami, I know that I can always trust her to have my back- it feels good, ya know?" A huge smile broke across Yugi's face and he turned to his Other Self, who in turn stared softly at his Aibou, eyes snapping in an instant back to a rich amethyst hue.

"I guess you're right Joey, I'm never alone now that I have Yami! He's as close to a brother as I could wish for." Yami unselfconsciously took Yugi's hand and held it on the table for a while before releasing it. Bakura rolled his eyes and made gagging noises across the table, drawing a scowl from Yami's normally impassive face.

"I've heard enough of the touchy-feely crap" Kaiba suddenly butt in. "Can we possibly talk about something _other_ than how much you all want to pat each other on the back and play house? I have to agree with Snowball over there-" at this both Ryou and Bakura scowled in his direction, and Bakura bent a fork in half with one hand- "all this sickly sweet talk is going to make me vomit."

Joey glared at Kaiba, but before he could answer, Yugi piped up. "Come on Kaiba, even you must know what we are talking about! We've all seen how dedicated you are to Mokuba." Kaiba's spare hand which had been resting lighting on his knee, suddenly clenched tight, only seen by Joey sitting next to him. Joey wondered at the reaction. Kaiba turned his frosty glare to the small duellist, making Yami narrow his eyes in defensive response for his Aibou.

"I have no desire to discuss personal matters with any of you. It is none of your business and you'd do well to remember that." Yugi blushed and stared abashed at his lap, biting his bottom lip. Yami closely watched his Other Half and without seeming to realise, shifted closer in his seat toward him. "As for the rest of you," Kaiba continued, "here's some advice for free. You cannot trust anybody. Doesn't matter if it's a blood relation or a ghost in a necklace, at the end of the day you are alone. You are born alone and die alone, and to expect anything more from anyone is just asking for trouble." With that, Kaiba pushed back abruptly from the table and favoured them all with one final glare before stalking out of the emptying dining hall.

 _"Well, **that** was cheerful" _ Bakura sniggered loudly. " _One could grow to like that asshat Kaiba- at least he knows the way of the world."_ With that, he eyeballed the rest of the gang before scooting his chair back and sauntering away all too casually. Looking at him closer, Joey noticed that he had palmed a sharp steak knife and opened his mouth to tell Ryou; but the other boy had clearly noticed too and with a soft cry of dismay and a quick parting wave, he scampered to his feet and made after his Dark Half.

"Wow," murmured Tea. "He really is touchy at the moment isn't he?" Yugi nodded slowly and a half-formed thought came to Joey. Before he could put it to the group however, he spied Ms. Hennessy weaving her way through the dinner tables toward him with a determined expression, and he decided not to push his luck again that day.

"Eh, sorry guys, Kaiba left, so it looks like I have to as well. I'll see ya at breakfast." With a cheerless wave, Joey got to his feet and rapidly left the room in the opposite direction of Ms. Hennessy, who was now standing and watching him like a hawk.

The lights were off when Joey re-entered his cabin, but he could see Kaiba's face dimly illuminated by his mobile phone in his bed. Ignoring him, Joey brushed his teeth and swapped his jeans and jacket for some cotton boxers and a plain T-shirt. Normally he wouldn't even bother with the shirt, but having Kaiba around put him on edge and made him feel vulnerable enough; nevermind being semi-naked in front of the psycho CEO!

As Joey pulled back his sheets and settled in to sleep, he heard the rustle of blankets from Kaiba's bed, and the brunette murmured, "first activity after breakfast is the rock climbing exercise. I eat at 7am." With that, he turned over and placed his phone on the bedside table beside him, leaving Joey no time to respond.

As Joey closed his eyes and began to drift to sleep, he pondered what Kaiba had just said, and tried to banish the thought that rose, unbidden to his mind; when the young CEO had spoken just now, as brief as it was, he had sounded for all the world as though he'd been crying.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey all! sorry about the delay in publishing this next chapter- what with Christmas, and end of year work, I have been flat out! I hope you all had a lovely Xmas Day!**

 **As always, thank you all for your comments and private messages. I am happy to say that in this chapter you may begin to see the start of things to come, the formation of the true story line. I do appreciate you all sticking with me through this terribly slow introduction to the Puppyshipping theme, but I cannot stand incomplete stories or not enough background context!**

 **I will be plugging away and hope to publish another chapter very soon- I am looking forward to the upcoming chapters! I am fascinated by the Yami/Yugi relationships, as well as Yami Bakura, so I may feature them more heavily too. Or, I may start up a different story- Puzzleshipping perhaps. Let me know if you'd be interested in reading another story of mine! :)**

 **Anyway, enjoy, as always I welcome suggestions or requests!**

 **And, of course, "I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!".**

* * *

Joey rolled out his bed with a groan. His alarm sounded jarringly on his bedside table and he fumbled about for a few seconds before finally hitting the right button to end the hellish sound. As he sat in the dimly lit cabin rubbing his sleep-puffed face, the previous day's activities came flooding back to him, along with the associated aches and pains. Every inch of his body ached and Joey dreaded seeing what his face looked like in the mirror; it was bound to be a mass of purple bruising. His eye was still very puffy but luckily it had not closed up entirely. Squinting about the darkened room, Joey noticed that Kaiba's bed was perfectly and neatly made, showing no sign at all that somebody had ever slept there. Kaiba had obviously gotten up long before Joey and already left for breakfast. Cursing at self-important CEOs and their penchant for rising early, Joey scrambled out of bed and raced into the bathroom to shower. There was no way he was going to be running late and get in trouble again!

"Mr. Wheeler, you are very nearly late," Mr. Morris said disapprovingly as Joey attempted to sneakily join the rock climbing group, a slice of toast between his teeth. There had been no sign of Kaiba at breakfast, however luckily for Joey, Ms. Hennessy had also been absent and so Joey had enjoyed a few peaceful minutes on his own before realising that the first activity was about to start. Grabbing the closest food item, Joey had raced out of the dining hall and headed for the indoor recreation centre.

"Sorry Mr. Morris." Joey muttered, trying not to chew too obviously on his cold toast.

"No harm done- please join your partner on wall 4; we are about to begin. You missed the demonstration but I'm sure Mr. Kaiba can fill you in." Mr. Morris turned away and began to help a pretty girl tighten her straps, which Joey felt was slightly unnecessary.

Joey shuffled over to where Kaiba was waiting, looking oddly comical with his harness and straps wrapped around his designer clothing. "Heya, Moneybags," Joey called out around his mouthful of toast. Kaiba favoured him a small grimace of distaste, somehow managing to remain dignified whilst wearing the ridiculous climbing helmet. Joey noticed a few extra bruises had sprouted up on Kaiba's face and arms overnight as well.

"I see the mutt finally rolled out of bed. I'm surprised you didn't wake yourself up with all that snoring". Kaiba smirked at his own joke a little as Joey bridled.

"I do not snore!" Joey cried.

"No, you're right. Of course you don't snore." Kaiba replied, eyes sparkling maliciously. "Obviously somebody crept into our room last night and started up a chainsaw in the same corner of the room as your bed. I'm surprised you didn't notice." Joey blinked for a few minutes and then opened his mouth to reply furiously. At that moment the teacher blew his whistle and all along the line, students began climbing and calling out to each other, their voices echoing throughout the room. Joey looked to Kaiba, unsure of what to do. Kaiba rolled his eyes and began to talk Joey through how to belay for him. He was a surprisingly succinct teacher and a few minutes later, Joey was looking on as the CEO scaled the rock wall with apparent ease. Joey rolled his eyes at Kaiba's back, thinking to himself; _of course he has to be good at this as well. Is there anything this guy can't do?_

Despite losing some time showing Joey how to work the ropes, Kaiba made rapid gains on his teammates and was the first to reach the top. Despite himself, Joey cheered; after all, Kaiba's success reflected well on him as well. As Kaiba began the descent, Joey looked around a bit at the other teams. Some students were really struggling and others had refused point-blank to make the climb; Joey noticed the girl who had appeared seasick the previous day was sitting by her wall looking wretched while her aggravated partner waited for another couple to finish so that he could have a turn. Joey shook his head a bit, wondering why anybody would pay so much to go on a cruise only to turn down all the activities on offer; he planned to make the absolute most of his vacation, Kaiba permitting.

Suddenly Kaiba's feet hit the ground, dragging Joey's attention back to his partner. He was surprised to find that the brunette was breathing a bit harder, a grin on his usually deadpan face. Obviously he enjoyed the physical exertion. He even managed to look at Joey with something other than derision, which had to be a first.

Now it was Joey's turn to climb. Strangely, looking up at the tall smooth wall with its tiny handholds and holes, he felt slightly dizzy. He didn't have a huge love of heights and the idea of being held up by a flimsy rope by his nemesis was enough to make Joey's palms begin to sweat. Conscious of Kaiba's eyes on him however, Joey clamoured into the harness and fastened the buckles with slightly trembling hands. He noticed that the scent of Kaiba's cologne lingered on the harness. Taking several deep breaths, Joey bolstered his confidence and began to slowly, painstakingly climb. As he reached for the next handhold, Joey heard Mr. Morris call out, "Ok class! All the team's partners have now switched places! Kaiba and Wheeler are in the lead but Ray and Thompson aren't far behind them! Who will win?" The shouts and cheers began to pick up in volume as the climbers rose to the challenge and began to scale their walls with determination. Joey picked up the pace and his unease began to fade as he focused his attention on reaching the top first, although he was not a confident climber like Kaiba was. From the corner of his eye Joey could see the team next to him were drawing even, despite his best efforts. His heart sank and his pace began to slow.

Suddenly a voice rose above the din from below him. "Go Wheeler! You can beat these losers!" Joey glanced down at Kaiba in disbelief. Was the arrogant CEO actually _cheering_ for him? He spotted the tall brunette amongst the gathered students, and his ears weren't deceiving him; Kaiba was calling up to Joey with a determined expression, clearly caught up in the excitement of the moment. Of course, Joey knew firsthand how competitive Kaiba was about games and so he wasn't surprised that the brunette wanted to win; what did surprise Joey was that Kaiba was lending his moral support to him!

The cheering, odd as it was to Joey, bolstered him and he began to gain ground and overtake the other teams again. Slapping the top rock with a crow of delight, Joey nimbly began scarpering back down the wall, barely paying attention to his foot holds in the excitement of winning. Several times he almost slipped, which would have caused him to fall off and be caught by the support rope, and likely be eliminated from the impromptu competition; but luckily, he avoided all disaster, and minutes later, his feet slapped the solid floor. By now several other students had wandered over to watch from other activity stations and the atmosphere was genuinely excited. As soon as Joey's feet hit the ground, students massed toward him, cheering and thumping him on the back. Joey dimly noticed that the runner-up team were still halfway down their wall- obviously the competition brought out his best rock climbing skills! Joey grinned and allowed himself to be showered with compliments and hugs. Caught up in the tangle of limbs and cheering, it was several seconds before Joey realised that Kaiba had one arm around his shoulders and was jostling him with excitement- he even ruffled Joey's hair with glee. Joey gawped at the brunette, unsure of how to react to this friendly gesture, when just the day before he was being punched by the same person! As he stared at the teen, his heart thumping painfully from the shock, Kaiba seemed to feel his gaze and looked down at him. As Kaiba's arm was around Joey's shoulder, the two boys were quite close together, and so Joey could read Kaiba's expression quite easily. In it, Joey saw Kaiba's excitement fade as he realised the reason for Joey's scrutiny, and he studiously removed his arm from Joey's shoulder, allowing his face to melt back into impassiveness as he did so.

However, Joey noticed a faint twinkle still existed in the other boy's eyes as Kaiba said with a humorous sneer, "Well, I guess you are good for something, Wheeler." Joey rolled his eyes in response, understanding that Kaiba was joking around in his own way.

"Well done boys, well done!" Mr. Morris called out over the din, clapping his hands to get the students' attention. "Now then teams, let's get strapped in again and we'll attempt the more difficult walls! Let's make it fun, shall we? The team who wins the most races today doesn't have to help put all the equipment away after the activity!" Joey glanced back at Kaiba, who gave him a faint nod. The game was on.

It was some time later that the two boys made their way to the dining hall. Naturally, with Kaiba as a teammate, the two had beaten the competition with ease, and as a result they were allowed to head to lunch early while their classmates stayed behind to tidy up. Joey's sore muscles had eased somewhat with the morning of physical activity to warm him up, and he strolled casually with his shirt sleeves rolled up and his top few buttons undone. Barely noticing, Joey began to whistle a little tune as he walked along, hands in pockets. Kaiba walked beside him, but far enough away that one would be forgiven for thinking the two weren't strictly travelling together. The sun was shining and a brisk breeze ruffled Joey's hair. It was perfect weather and for the first time since being stuck with Kaiba as a roommate, Joey felt himself fully relax and begin to feel content. The two pushed open the dining hall doors to find it largely empty of other students; clearly they had finished up the rock climbing activity earlier than the other group activities. The two boys made their way with unspoken consent to the same dining table they had sat at the night before. As Kaiba wandered over to the bain-marie to collect some food, Joey tucked his arms behind his head and leaned back in his chair, surveying the rest of the food hall. He had just closed his eyes to rest for a moment when the clatter of a plate being placed on the table jolted him out of his almost-nap.

"What is that tune?" Joey looked up to see Kaiba taking a seat beside him. The brunette wasn't looking at Joey but obviously the question was aimed at him, being the only other at the table.

"What tune?" Joey replied, confused.

"That tune you were humming just now. It is the same tune that you were whistling earlier, on deck." Kaiba busied himself with buttering a piece of bread, still avoiding eye contact, as though he were embarrassed for asking about something as silly as Joey's whistling. Joey idly noticed that Kaiba didn't cut his bread up to eat but instead tore chunks from it with his long fingers before buttering each ragged piece. Joey ate his bread the same way but for some reason it struck him as funny that Kaiba ate in such a non-fancy manner. Then he turned his attention to the CEO's question.

"Er, I dunno really, it's just a song. I useta sing it for Serenity when we were kids. Sometimes she'd wake up in the night bawlin', and my song was the only thing that'd put her back to sleep." Joey scratched the back of his head with faint embarrassment. "To be honest, I didn't even realise I was hummin' it. Sometimes it just happens". Kaiba met his eyes, nodded once, then turned back to his bread-destroying in a suddenly moody silence. Joey cast about for something to say to break the sudden silence, with no luck. He had just opened his mouth to say something, anything, when another voice called out across the hall.

"Joey! Kaiba! Hey!" It was Tea, walking closely behind Yami. Joey noticed that Tea included Kaiba in her greeting and had obviously decided, like Yugi long before her, that Kaiba was worthy of the title 'friend'. Yami gave a small wave but remained mostly deadpan.

"Heya Tea!" Joey replied, relieved that the building tension had been broken. Plus it felt like forever since he'd seen a friendly face! "And Yami. You guys done for the afternoon as well?" the duo nodded as they took their seats opposite Joey and Kaiba. Joey noticed a steady stream of other students was now entering the dining hall.

"Yes," Yami replied. "We had a team building session. We had to do trust falls and build arm bridges, and such." He turned to Joey and quirked an eyebrow with humour. "Tea greatly enjoyed the afternoon". Tea nodded eagerly, and without prompt began chattering away about the various trust exercises and pair activities they had spent the day doing. Yami rolled his eyes at Joey, but the gesture was non-spiteful; the entire group knew how much Tea loved developing friendships and trust with others. Joey grinned at the other boy and let Tea's excited talk wash over him; only the occasional nod or comment of "oh really?" was required to keep up the flow of conversation. Yami smoothly got up from his seat after a glance at Tea and wandered over to the bain-marie to look over the food on offer. Tea's eyes followed him the whole way, hungrily. Realising that he had not yet eaten, Joey leapt to his feet with a grumble of the stomach and followed Yami.

Lining up behind Yami with his plate, Joey leaned forward and spoke softly to the shorter boy. "So how's it all going? You know- with Tea?" Yami looked around at Joey, startled, and in a most un-pharaoh way blurted out, "how do you know about that? What has been said to you?"

Joey raised his hands in a conciliatory gesture. "Calm down, Yam', nobody said nuthin'. It's just kinda obvious, ok?" Yami's eyebrows drew together ominously and he stared seriously at Joey.

"What exactly is so obvious?"

"Well, the way she stares at you, for starters. Can't keep her eyes off ya! But I noticed you looking back at her the other day so I thought that, ya know, maybe you were startin' to feel the same way?" Joey flushed a little, starting to regret starting the conversation. Yami was staring stonily at the food on offer, mechanically scooping up whatever was in front of him.

"There is nothing to say about that, Joey, as there is nothing there. I do not have feelings for Tea. Looking at somebody does not necessarily mean you have romantic intention. Look at Kaiba; he is staring at you right now, but we can all say with certainty that it is not because he is in love with you, now is he?" Joey jumped with surprise, as Yami had not glanced back at the dining table once and yet somehow thought Kaiba was watching them? Joey glanced over his shoulder and immediately met Kaiba's eyes. The brunette was as deadpan as ever, however Joey somehow knew that he had been watching for some time, and clearly was uncomfortable sitting alone at a table with the chattering Tea. Joey wondered if Kaiba was sending out a silent plea to be rescued from the situation.

Joey turned back to Yami and shook his head. "Sorry Yami, I didn't meant to upset you. I was just wondering. I'll keep my big mouth shut, ok?" Yami gave a small nod and smiled faintly at Joey before turning back and moving toward the table. Joey gave a silent curse and piled his plate up with food before following. He had forgotten how touchy Yugi's Dark Other could be! And he was not entirely convinced that Yami had been telling the truth; even now his eyes were locked onto Tea's, until she was the first to turn away, flushing slightly. Yami frowned slightly and took his seat, moodily poking at his food. Joey ate heartily for something to do but the silence that had descended on the table was an obvious sign that Tea had either run out of things to talk about, or was otherwise distracted.

Finally Joey could take the silence no longer. "So what's the plan for this afternoon, guys? You got another activity to do or what? I don't even know what we have up next." Yami and Tea shook their heads, and Kaiba shifted in his seat a little as Joey looked at him questioningly. "We all have Free Time this afternoon," Yami explained. "I believe Yugi wanted to meet by the swimming pool. Do you want to join us?" Tea nodded excitedly and Joey gave a grin. He loved Free Time, and he loved to swim!

"Count me in!" Joey cried. Next to him however, Kaiba was shaking his head.

"Sorry Mutt, but I need to work this afternoon. I have a conference call". He gave a faint grimace but whether that was at the idea of a conference call or having to speak out loud, Joey wasn't sure.

"So? Go take your call then." Joey said irritably. "I still plan on goin' swimming! I wasn't talking to _you_ anyway." He turned to Yami and continued, "I'll just go put my trunks on, meet you in ten minutes?" as Yami began to nod in agreement, Kaiba interrupted hotly. "The way I understand it, we are not permitted to participate in any activities without each other. As I have a prior arrangement, you will have to stay in the room with me. Trust me, it's not ideal for me either". Joey blinked at the CEO a few times before cursing out loud. Kaiba was right, damn it. Staring at the disappointed Tea and Yami, Joey said sourly, "Sorry guys, looks like I'll haveta take a raincheck. Next time, huh?" The duo nodded with sympathy as Joey got to his feet, leaving food uneaten on his plate- a rarity for the blonde. Turning away without a word, Joey made briskly for the door, a silent Kaiba trailing in his wake.

An hour or two had passed and Joey was almost demented with boredom. Kaiba had been typing away rapidly on his computer the entire time, pausing only to dial in to his teleconference for half an hour. He had made Joey sit out in the balcony while he did so. Joey was now back inside, and although Kaiba had allowed him to turn on the television to watch some cartoons, it had to be turned down so low that he could barely make out what the characters were saying. He had just closed his eyes with a mind to taking a short nap when Kaiba's voice startled him in the relative quiet of the room.

"I am sorry you had to sit in here and miss meeting your friends." The statement was said matter-of-factly, with little emphasis, but Joey knew that it was sincere, somehow. "I know that this trip has not been pleasant for you so far. Trust me, it's been no walk in the park for me also; but I know that friendship and socialising means so much more for you than it does for me." Joey sat unblinking at Kaiba's back, until the brunette twisted in his seat to take him in. To Kaiba, Joey looked rather miserable. Bruised and dishevelled, he really was like a kicked puppy, sitting on his unkempt bed with staring at him all wide-eyed. Kaiba's mouth twisted in a grim smile and he decided to take some pity on the teen.

"Come on," Kaiba said, nodding in the direction of Joey's Duel Monsters deck on his bedside table, "I can take a break for a while, if it means I get to whip you like the mutt you are again." Joey scowled at the dog reference before letting a sly gleam enter his eye.

"Oh Kaiba, you're gonna regret that. Game On!"


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys! Here comes Chapter 8. I have skipped forward a little in time as you all get the picture by now- plus I am eager to begin really developing this story's theme!**

 **I hope you enjoy- it takes a bit of a turn into murky waters from here ;)**

 **Sorry that the chapters are a bit longer than usual... I just can't bear to finish the story in the middle of all the action! :P**

* * *

So it was that the next few days passed rather quickly, and Joey and Kaiba entered into an unusual arrangement. It could never be considered a friendship, but the antagonism that had previously been front and centre in their dealings with one another was put aside as both boys tried to coexist without murdering the other. Once or twice Kaiba had even consented to bringing his laptop up onto deck to work on while Joey caught up with the gang; poor Yugi had particularly been feeling the sting of neglect and Yami was present almost constantly now to comfort his little Light.

Things were better, but by no means perfect. One day Kaiba had received a phone call that sent him into a violent rage; Joey had had a TV remote thrown at his head for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and Kaiba had been sullen and snappy for the entire day. It had been particularly difficult to participate in the group class activity, pottery making, with one half of the partnership sitting in a corner with his arms crossed and a deep scowl marking his face. Joey had decided not to keep the misshapen and sad teapot he'd created during the session- it was a depressing reminder of his complete and utter lack of artistic talent.

As a side effect of living alongside Kaiba, Joey had learnt more about the boy than he ever wanted to know. For example, the brunette talked in his sleep; not quiet murmurings or the occasional swear word, oh no- Kaiba suffered from terrible nightmares. The first night it had happened, Joey had been frightened out of his wits by the CEO's cries and moans. He had leapt out of his own bed almost before he was awake properly, and was standing at the foot of Kaiba's bed watching the brunette thrash about in his sheets and cry out in despair. Joey had not mentioned it to Kaiba, who did not appear to remember anything the next morning, but the almost nightly occurrence caused Joey to experience quite a few sleepy-eyed mornings as a result. What had happened in Kaiba's life to make him experience such terror, Joey wondered?

Other less disturbing quirks surfaced as well. Kaiba couldn't leave the room without ensuring his bed was spotlessly, scrupulously made. Joey's own mess of sheets and pillows clearly caused him anxiety and Joey had caught him staring at his bed with narrowed eyes and twitching fingers on numerous occasions. Joey noticed that Kaiba always used the same coffee cup over and over, choosing to rinse it out each time rather than get a new one. He applied cologne twice daily and brushed his teeth up to three times a day. He thought Joey was disgusting. He owned a lot of plain white button-up shirts, which he _ironed_. Joey noted these things and more, and slowly the person that was Seto Kaiba began to become clearer and slightly less intimidating.

On the fifth day, the teachers called an assembly of the students prior to dinner that afternoon. Ms. Hennessy led the assembly, much to Joey's disappointment- he had rather hoped she might have fallen overboard by now.

"Attention students! Quiet down now!" Ms. Hennessy called out across the student body. Wearing her usual stiff black blazer and pants, she was the only member of staff who did not look as though she were on vacation; indeed she was standing even more rigidly than Kaiba; a hard mark to beat, Joey thought. "Please note, in two days' time the ship will be passing by Outpost Island- so named as it contains the ruins of an old war outpost. The island has since been converted into a tourist destination and there are a number of activities on offer. All students are to dismount the ship on Sunday and the day will be spent on the Island. The ruins will be made available to the students for a large game of paintball-" there was an assembled sound of gleeful exclamations at this- "and any student who wishes to play must be at the ruins by 10am. If you do not wish to play, there will be snorkelling, bike riding and other such activities to participate in. All students must be back on the ship by 5pm, _sharp_. I will post reminders about this tomorrow, and please come to me if you have any questions. That is all!" As a low roar of conversation broke out amongst the departing students, Joey turned to Yugi, a delighted grin on his face.

"Paintball, Yug'! Should be good fun!" Turning to nudge the ever-present Kaiba in the ribs, Joey continued; "I can't wait to shoot ol' Moneybags here! Right in the _face_." Kaiba rolled his eyes in response, but a small smile had crept onto his face.

"In your dreams, Wheeler. I'll destroy you, like I do in everything else." With that, Kaiba turned and made his way to the breakfast bar. Joey grinned after his back and then turned back to the gang. He was in a superb mood, which was odd; Kaiba's nightmares had been particularly bad that night and both teens were feeling a little worse for wear that day- Kaiba in particular looked dead on his feet and his mood had been up and down all day as a result of his weariness. Still, the prospect of paintball lifted Joey's spirits and he forgot his fatigue in his excitement. Yugi smiled in response but with less enthusiasm- as always, he preferred peace to war, but Joey also knew that on the day, his small friend would be in the thick of it with the rest of them. And his mind for strategy coupled with his brilliant and overprotective Yami would probably see him emerge triumphant as well, Joey thought.

As the group made their way to their usual table, Ms. Hennessy appeared and intersected Joey. "Mr. Wheeler, as you know, the day trip to the island will take place on day seven of this trip. As it is unlikely that you will have the time or inclination to present your essays to me that I requested of you on the day, I would like these by the end of the day tomorrow instead. You will spend your Free Time tomorrow afternoon finishing them if required." Joey had to wrack his brain for a moment to even remember what Ms. Hennessy was talking about before it came back to him- he and Kaiba had to collect information on one another and write a 2,000 word essay for Ms. Hennessy. He almost groaned aloud, but instead nodded and replied, "sure thing, Miss, I'm basically finished already! Peace o' cake!" Grinning winningly at Ms. Hennessy, who was looking at him as though she knew exactly how little thought he'd given it, Joey moved aside and walked quickly to catch up to his friends. He cursed internally at having forgotten. Seeing Kaiba already at the table, Joey scooted to an empty chair beside the CEO.

"Hey Kaiba- you remember that essay we gotta write for Ms. Hennessy?" Kaiba nodded slowly. "Well she wants it handed in tomorrow night now, coz we won't be on the boat on day seven. Have you done yours yet?" Kaiba shook his head to indicate no, as he had just popped a piece of roast chicken into his mouth. Chewing it rapidly, Kaiba swallowed and then turned back to Joey thoughtfully.

"Shit, I forgot all about that. I haven't started. What a bother. Well, I suppose we should get started on it- do you want to work on it a little tonight?" He grimaced at Joey, indicating that the task was just as unappealing to him as it was to the blonde. Joey nodded glumly at Kaiba's suggestion, but figured the more they could finish that night, the less they'd have to do tomorrow in Free Time.

Across the table from Joey, Ryou was explaining to Bakura what paintball was. His wild haired partner had a disturbingly gleeful expression on his face and appeared to greatly like the idea of shooting his fellow students. Yami was listening closely to Ryou's explanations, his eyes narrowed with concentration, as he too had never played the game. His eyes kept flicking to Yugi, who interjected the occasional titbit of information to complement Ryou's descriptions. The group discussed whether the game would be split into two teams of many players, or multiple smaller groups. Yami immediately declared himself Yugi's partner, causing the smaller boy to blush and beam at the same time. Tea gave a slight frown but said nothing. Joey glanced at Kaiba, who he knew would be his partner regardless, and found the taller teen watching Yami with a slightly bemused look on his face. Noticing Joey's scrutiny, he glanced in his direction and raised an eyebrow slightly. Joey shrugged, communicating to the brunette without words, _this is normal for those two. Get used to it._ Kaiba gave a faint smile in response and turned back to his almost finished meal, shaking his head a little as he did so.

Later, the two boys were back in their cabin, sitting cross-legged across each other on Kaiba's huge bed. Joey had his notepad open and ready to go, the word 'Kaiba' scrawled in his trademark messy handwriting at the top of the page. Staring at the brunette, Joey felt strangely nervous. Clearing his throat as a means to break the small silence that had arisen, Joey looked down at his notepad. "Right, how do ya wanna do this? Should we like, ask each other questions or something?"

Kaiba shook his head, but not in negation. He often did it to arrange his thoughts, Joey had discovered. "Let's write the essay as though we have to introduce the other. That way, we can use up a fair chunk of the word count on simple questions and answers without delving too deeply." Joey nodded in agreement, motioning silently for Kaiba to go on. "I think I can probably write my essay about you easily enough; after all, after the last competition you gave that interview which revealed a lot of information, plus you are fairly open with your friends. I on the other hand am more private about myself". Joey nodded fervently in agreement; despite being internationally famous, very little was known about Kaiba besides the usual snippets of information, such as his orphan status and early takeover of Kaiba Corp.

"So," Kaiba continued, "I think it would be best if you went first, and asked me questions, yes? Then, if I don't know the same question about you, you can answer it as well." Joey tapped his pencil against his bottom lip for a while, his head cocked to the side as he pondered what to ask Kaiba. He decided to fire off some easy ones to get into the rhythm.

"You were adopted?"

"Yes."

"Your favourite card is Blue Eyes White Dragon?"

"Obviously."

"What do you do in your spare time?"

Kaiba huffed. "Design Duel Monsters merch, sell, buy, the usual?"

"I'm building up, ok? Just bear with me. Um, what's your favourite colour?"

"Blue".

"Blue. Right. Ok. Uhm-"

"But not any old blue. Ice-blue. Like the first snowfall. Or the sky after a storm. Really light blue." Kaiba flushed a little as he realised he'd babbled a bit. Joey tried not to stare at him as though he'd grown a second head.

"Uh- cool. Got it- light blue, basically like old Blue Eyes." Kaiba opened his mouth as though about to object, then closed it and wearily gestured at Joey to continue. Joey gave a cheeky grin. "How much money do you make?"

"Per day, per minute, per second? Per year? Be specific."

Joey furrowed his brow. "Per year. _Per annum,_ as they say, heh."

Kaiba rattled off a number that made Joey gape, with a glibness that suggested he was rubbing it in a little. The sum was more than Joey could even comprehend. _What does old Moneybags even do with that much dough?_ Joey looked down at his lap and licked his lips. Suddenly the extreme wealth that Kaiba possessed seemed rather real and intimidating to him. Without thinking, he blurted out his next question.

"Did your stepdad want Mokuba as well, or were you guys like a package deal?"

There was a deathly silence.

A second or two later, Joey's brain caught up with his comment and he realised what he'd asked and how offended Kaiba must be by it. He felt the blood drain from his face and he slowly looked up at the figure sitting across from him. Kaiba's expression was frozen in one of shocked anger, but even as Joey watched his eyes narrowed into slits. Joey tried to get a handle on the situation.

"Listen Kaiba, I'm sorry, that was stupid-"

" _How DARE you ask me that."_ The anger in Kaiba's reply made Joey physically flinch.

"Kaiba, calm down OK? It was just a stupid question!" Kaiba scrambled off the bed and strode over to the balcony doors, staring out at the ocean, his arms crossed tightly across his chest. Joey could see his cold, furious face reflected in the glass of the doors. Joey slowly slid out of the bed and stood some distance behind the CEO, trying desperately to think of something to say. He rather felt that Kaiba was overreacting; yes, his question had been insensitive and he knew how touchy the brunette was about his only family, but even for the dramatic CEO this was a very angry response.

"Of course it was a stupid question. How could I ever expect anything else from someone as dim-witted and idiotic as you?" Kaiba snarled, rounding on the startled blonde.

"What the hell, Kaiba?!" Joey snapped back. "Is this some sort of joke?"

"You think you've got me all figured out, don't you? You think I'm _joke_ , I hear you insulting me behind my back with your _friends_ , who in the same breath invite me to sit at their table and chit-chat. You think because I'm the rich successful CEO of Kaiba Corp, with an image to maintain, that you can say or ask anything about me? You don't know the first thing about me or my family!" He was roaring now, his hands clenched to fists at his side, advancing on Joey step by step. Joey was utterly confused, and a bit scared by now; he had never seen Kaiba so enraged, and he was not entirely sure what had caused it- other than the fact that it involved Mokuba. He tried again to diffuse the situation, putting his palms up and taking a tentative step toward the brunette, while trying to look calm and collected.

"Look, Kaiba, I understand why you're mad-"

"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND ANYTHING, YOU ASSHOLE!" His calm was shattered as Kaiba threw his arms in the air and practically screamed at him. "You think you understand?! You think you're some expert on families now do you, now that you've been reunited with your sister after what, _ten years_ or something _?_ Suddenly everything is roses? Your mother _left_ you, Wheeler, she chose your sister, and she left. _She didn't want you_! And now Mokuba doesn't want me." If he hadn't have finished with that statement, Joey might have killed him. He was shaking with rage and shame from what Kaiba had shouted at him, even while recognising the grain of truth in it. But that last statement. That made Joey pause in the furious reply he was about to spit back at the other teen. Instead he remained silent, and the silence permeated the room, thick and full of promise. Only Kaiba's ragged breathing sounded, loud and harsh in Joey's ears.

"Mokuba? Kaiba- what do you mean, Mokuba doesn't want you? What are you talking about?" Kaiba's long hands flew to his head and he gripped his hair, looking slightly demented. He began to pace about the room, staring at nothing, muttering and cursing under his breath. "Kaiba! Talk to me! I don't know what's wrong here but you're obviously really pissed about something! I'm sorry about my question but I didn't know you were having trouble with Mokuba..?" He phrased it as a question, as he was still unsure about exactly what was going on.

Kaiba finally stopped pacing and turned slowly toward Joey. Taking a deep breath, he squared his shoulders and replied in a quiet, agonised voice, "Yes. I'm _having trouble with Mokuba._ " He breathed again, and then suddenly the words were tumbling from his mouth. He steadfastly refused to look Joey in the face but stood, rigid, hands fists by his side, his face red and lined with anguish. "He doesn't want me anymore. All our lives it was just him and I; and I looked after him. _I was enough for him._ But now, suddenly, he no longer wants to be around me. He is moody and he snaps and he has new 'friends' who I have never seen. He tells me these horrible things and laughs at me like I'm garbage. Like I'm some _dog_ under his heel." Joey's brows furrowed a bit at this, but he kept silent. The young CEO obviously needed to get this off his chest. He was sinking slowly onto the end of his bed, and Joey was alarmed to find that the young man was on the verge of tears.

"He hates me, and I don't know why. I mean, I know I'm an asshole, and people talk about me, but to Mokuba I was always the world. But now, he barely speaks to me. I only came on this cruise to… to give him some space. I was going to take him on a holiday, but instead he told me he'd rather if I wasn't around. Do you have any idea how that feels? He's my only family. He's my _brother_. He's the only person who has ever appreciated me for who I am." A long fingered hand came slowly up to cover Kaiba's face as a tear tracked itself down his cheek.

Joey was floored. He was utterly unprepared for this, but staring at the anguished brunette sitting on the bed in front of him, his one overwhelming emotion was that of profound pity. _Poor Kaiba,_ he thought. _I can't imagine how he's feeling. Sure, I haven't always had Serenity around, but I always knew that she loved me and was there for me if I needed her- and vice versa. Plus, I have the gang. Kaiba has nobody but his brother._ Joey sighed quietly and shuffled a bit closer to the brunette on the bed, now that he looked like he wasn't going to attack Joey with a chair or something.

"Look, Kaiba. I know I can't exactly understand how you feel, but I'm sure it's just a phase Mokuba is goin' through. Listen, he's a teenager now, right? He's probably just gettin' a bit rebellious, testing the limits. I'm sure he'll come good, eh?" Tentatively, Joey reached out a hand and clasped Kaiba's shoulder, giving him a gentle jostle. His touch however seemed to break a wall within Kaiba and the brunette broke down into fully-fledged tears.

"He- he told me… he told me _he wished we'd been adopted separately!"_ Kaiba wailed, and before Joey knew what had happened, he was sitting next to the CEO on his bed, rubbing Kaiba's back while the taller teen wept unrestrained into Joey's collarbone. It was quite uncomfortable for Joey, but he knew that Kaiba needed to unload; he had probably been bottling this up for a while now. No wonder he had been so angry lately! Joey made wordless sounds of comfort like those his mum used to make to him when he hurt himself playing rough, and it seemed to help; Kaiba began to regain some control over himself and the tears lessened, however his grip around the blonde teen had not slackened and he seemed to settle further against Joey's chest. Joey gave a gusty sigh and resigned himself to sitting there for some time. His heart was beating quite quickly from the rapid pace the night had taken, and his mind was reeling with some of the things Kaiba had said. He had never seen this side to the CEO before and he couldn't help but see Kaiba differently now.

* * *

Joey was not sure how long they sat there, Kaiba occasionally sniffling, Joey gently rubbing his back and neck absentmindedly. After a time however, Joey realised that Kaiba had almost drifted entirely off to sleep, when the boy gave a great sleep twitch, scaring the daylights out of the brooding blonde holding onto him.

"C'mon Kaibs, I think you needta lie down a bit, eh?" Joey murmured, trying to pry one of Kaiba's arms from around his neck. In response, Kaiba gave an irritable grunt that was much more in line with his usual attitude, and allowed Joey to lower him onto the bed; however his grip didn't slacken and for a brief moment Joey was concerned that he'd have to lie down alongside Kaiba all night. The thought made his throat tighten and his heart thump sporadically- likely a result of the stressful night he'd just had, Joey figured. Finally Joey managed to get his head and neck untangled from Kaiba's deadweight arms and sat up straight to survey the now dozing teen. Without thinking, Joey reached out and stroked Kaiba's floppy brown hair. Speaking quietly, Joey muttered, "I'm sorry you've been keepin' this all in for so long Kaiba. I promise you, it'll get better." As he finished speaking, he glanced down at the CEO and noticed with a jolt that his eyes were open, watching Joey's face. His eyes were clouded with sleep, but full of recognition.

"It's 'snot all true," Kaiba muttered, his speech slurred by the oncoming exhaustion.

"What's not?" Joey asked quietly, although he barely expected the exhausted teen to respond.

But he did. "I said I came to give M'kuba space… 'snot all coz of that… I came for you, too".

With that, Kaiba's eyes slid shut and deep, healing sleep finally took him; leaving behind Joey, sitting wide-eyed in the dimly lit bedroom, his heart thumping a painful rhythm that he didn't understand.


	9. Chapter 9

**Ah, it begins! #angst!**

 **I hope you all enjoyed my last chapter, and thanks for the reviews. I am quite happy with this chapter, and I hope it makes you eager for more. I shall say nothing else here- let me know what you think :)**

* * *

The boys spoke little the following morning. For Joey, his silence was mostly borne out of embarrassment and confusion. The things Kaiba had said to him the evening before had made him experience a rollercoaster of emotion, spanning from anger, to pity, to- well, Joey wasn't even sure _how_ he felt about Kaiba's final comment before slipping off to sleep. Obviously the brunette had been fatigue-addled, so Joey decided to pay his words no heed and act as though he hadn't said anything at all.

Kaiba, for his part, appeared to be deeply ashamed of his outburst. Almost immediately upon waking up, Joey knew that Kaiba was in no state to be up and about- he was so morose and despondent that he was akin to a walking corpse.

Joey checked the event planner to see what activity he and Kaiba were listed to participate in that day; cooking class- excellent. Joey slipped out of the cabin and raced up to the dining hall, leaving Kaiba lying in bed staring at the wall.

"Miss Shaw? Can I speak to you for a moment?" Ms. Shaw looked up at Joey, mildly startled. She had amazingly long hair, almost down to the backs of her knees, and wore a flowing tie-dyed dress. She always wore an assortment of bangles and chunky bead jewellery and was the most calm and friendly teacher Joey had ever met. She usually took art class but on occasions taught the home economics class at school- she was supposed to lead Joey's group for cooking class that morning.

"Mr. Wheeler! What a pleasant surprise you are this fine morning! Such a handsome vision to interrupt my eggs on toast! Although that black eye makes me frown a little. What can I do for you, my lovely blonde lad?" She beamed up at Joey, who responded in kind; you couldn't help but like Miss Shaw. Joey silently thanked whichever gods had decided that she would take the class that day.

"Miss Shaw, as you know, Kaiba and I are partners for all the activities this week-" Joey began.

"Yes, indeed you are! What a potent mix, don't you think? Blonde and brown; brown and blonde! Ice-blue and warm sand-brown! Haha!" Miss Shaw waved her arms about in delight and Joey caught a faint trace of her distinctive perfume; a musky herbal smell that bizarrely made him think of Yami, and Egypt.

"Er- yes, very uh.. potent. Um, Miss Shaw, Kaiba isn't feeling well this morning." Miss Shaw's toothy grin faded and she looked at Joey, who drew a silent breath of relief that she was taking him seriously and actually listening.

"Whatever is wrong with our young Seto? Is he alright? Should I check on him?" Miss Shaw made to get up from her seat, but Joey flapped her back down frantically. Having a teacher check in on Kaiba would not help!

"No! er- no, that's fine. But I thought it might be best if he stayed in our cabin this morning. And as his…as his partner, I think I should stay with him. Besides, if he's uh, contagious, I have probably caught what he's got anyway, right?" Miss Shaw leaned away from Joey slightly, who did his best to look as though he was coming down with some deadly yet temporary ailment.

"Mr. Wheeler, you are so kind and caring! Of course Seto should stay in bed; and please, stay with him. I do not want you spreading diseases into our food this morning! You two stay, yes. But please! Call me if he worsens, and I shall bring him some medicine. I make my own you know." She beamed up at him before abruptly turning back to her eggs on toast and beginning to eat with gusto. "Go now, Mr. Wheeler. I shall have the kitchen staff bring you boys some room service breakfast. Can't heal up without proper nutrients! I shall let Ms. Hennessy know that you are looking after your partner so very well."

"Yes, Miss Shaw. And thanks!" Joey spun about and left the dining hall, giving Ms. Hennessy a cheeky wave on the way out. Now, he could begin to work on Kaiba.

"Alright, up and at 'em Kaibs, you've sulked long enough!" Joey cheerfully pushed the heavy curtains open to let the bright summery light filter into the room. Kaiba blinked a few times but otherwise remained lying in his bed. He was still wearing his clothes from the day before and his face was puffy from lack of sleep and the emotional night he'd had.

"What are you doing, Wheeler?" He murmured, squinting as a beam of sunlight striped across his face.

"What _we_ are gonna do, Kaiba me old pal, is write up this stupid essay for Ms. Hennessy, get it done and dusted, then we're gonna do something _fun_ for the rest of the day- how's that sound?"

"It sounds stupid." Joey's shoulders slumped a little as Kaiba worked himself upright in the bed. "But I suppose anything is better than moping around." Joey grinned and nodded in agreement as Kaiba set about making his bed with the usual military precision. Apparently having a life crisis did not excuse being slovenly. As he pulled the sheets and blankets straight, tucking in the edges as he went, Kaiba relented and asked, "so what about the class activity this morning?"

Joey perked up a little and crowed, "We were supposed to have cooking class with Miss Shaw, but she excused us for the whole day! She even said she'd tell Ms. Hennessy about how well we were working together!" Kaiba flicked him the ghost of a smile as he made his way into the bathroom, while Joey hooted with glee from his own bed. "So we get to play hooky for the whole day, and get kudos for it! Seems you're not the only evil genius around here, Kaibs!" The brunette didn't respond but Joey could hear the faucets groan as he turned on the shower. Feeling that some sort of ceremony was required to begin his planned day of "Make Moneybags Feel Better", Joey leapt to his feet and hastily made his own bed for the first time that week. Then, looking about the cabin, he decided to tidy the whole room a little; it was looking a bit shabby after having two teenage boys live in it for an entire week, even if one of them was hyper clean-freak Kaiba.

Joey was humming tunelessly to himself as he wiped dry the last of the mugs in the tiny kitchenette when he heard the bathroom door open, and Kaiba said with faint humour, "well look at this! If I'd have known that all I had to do to get you to clean up after yourself was act the way I did last night, I'd have bawled like a baby long ago."

"Oh ha ha Kaiba, very funny. See what attitude I get when I try to do something nice for you? You should be on your knees thankin' me-" Joey's little retort died in his mouth as he turned around to find Kaiba wearing nothing but a pair of cotton shorts. His body was long and lean, with all the sinewy grace of a cat. He was smooth yet hard and it was obvious that he worked out. Joey realised he'd been staring and quickly rearranged his features into what he hoped was an impassive mask. Luckily for him Kaiba had been ruffling his hair with a towel and missed the moment of scrutiny, however Joey's abrupt silence drew his attention anyway and he peered curiously at the blonde over the top of his white fluffy towel. Correctly guessing the reason for Joey's sudden pause, Kaiba gestured unselfconsciously to his torso.

"I figured if we didn't have to go anywhere I'd just dress casual- is that a problem?" He quirked an eyebrow at the blonde, making in clear in that expression that he didn't give a damn whether Joey would have a problem with it or not.

"Uh- no! not at all!" Joey squeaked in an unnaturally high voice, turning back to the mug he was drying. "I uh, was just surprised to see you wearing shorts with no brand name. Bit low-brow for you, 'aint it?" It was a fairly lame excuse, but it was all Joey could manage on such short notice.

Kaiba huffed, but he was also amused. He wandered over to his immaculately kept suitcase and dragged out a plain black T-shirt. Joey had never seen it before but it was obviously well-worn, as it had a couple of fraying holes all over it. As Kaiba pulled the shirt over his head, Joey was shocked to notice several long white scars criss-crossing over his back. The boy had obviously had a terrible injury in the past. As Kaiba turned around to scrutiny Joey, the blonde quickly turned back to the mug and continued to rub it.

"There, no need to be embarrassed now- I know I'm a pretty intimidating specimen," Kaiba smirked. "Also, if you dry that mug any more, it may crumble into dust." Joey put the mug down with a clatter and spun to face the brunette.

"I'm _not_ embarrassed, Ok? I was just- unprepared. Forget it." Joey strode back over to his bed and flopped down on it, dragging his lined notepad out of his backpack and grabbing a nearby pen to write with. "Let's just get this assignment done, alright? Then we can actually have some fun around here. I have a whole day planned." Kaiba looked at him soberly for a while before nodding in agreement and taking his own place at the desk where his laptop was propped open waiting for him. "Right," said Joey. "Couple of hours and we'll have this knocked over, eh? Let's get to it!" Kaiba rolled his eyes at Joey, who merely winked at the brunette cheerfully before taking to his notepad with gusto.

* * *

Joey was bored.

He had started off well, writing about Kaiba as though he were introducing him to somebody, as the CEO himself had suggested. It was easier this way, because he could fill in a lot of words with simple facts. Any information he didn't have, he just lied about.

Now he lay on his stomach, flicking the pencil against his notepad, looking about the room morosely. It had been several minutes since he's last written anything. God, assignment writing was so _boring_! He looked over at the back of the brunette's head. Kaiba was industriously typing away, clearly not having any trouble drumming up the necessary 2,000 words. The overachiever was probably already at 5,000 words, Joey thought sourly.

Joey sighed loudly. Kaiba's head twitched a little but he continued to type uninterrupted.

 _Fine,_ thought Joey. _I think it must be time for a study break._ With that, he slithered off his bed, pillow in hand, and crept up silently behind the brunette. Kaiba was leaning forward in his chair, brows furrowed, as he reread a line he'd just typed. It was perfect. Joey crept a little closer, then raised both arms over his head, gripping the pillow firmly, before bringing it down with great force over the taller boy's head.

It was a thing of beauty- the perfect hit. Kaiba's head rocked forward and Joey was fairly sure that his forehead bumped his laptop. The pillow continued its wide arc up and around, and a few feathers even slipped out of the pillow and fluttered in the air about them.

Kaiba slowly sat upright, before turning slowly in his chair, staring at Joey with the utmost shock. Joey collapsed back onto Kaiba's bed, already shaking with a helpless laughter. Kaiba just looked so _surprised_! He was blinking at Joey and the blonde could see the thoughts flicking through his head as though it were clear as glass- surprise, shock, pain, indecision as to whether he should laugh or be furious. The final straw came when a small white feather settled itself gently in the CEO's floppy brown hair, sticking up at a comical angle. Joey shrieked with laughter and gripped his sides, flopping back down onto Kaiba's bed.

"Wheeler, what the _hell-"_ Kaiba's exclamation was cut short as Joey rolled over onto his stomach, still howling with mirth.

"Yuh-yu-you were so…" Joey couldn't even finish the sentence. He pummeled the mattress with his hands as he tried to come up for air.

Kaiba rose slowly to his feet. "Wheeler…"

Joey rocked side to side on his belly, his laughs finally becoming gasping breaths as he regained control. Tears were leaking from his eyes. Kaiba stalked closer to the bed, eyes twinkling with a dangerous excitement.

" _Wheeler._ " Kaiba's voice finally penetrated Joey's brain and he twisted over to look at the other teen, just in time to see him leap at Joey from the end of the bed. With a cry of surprise, Joey tried to scramble up the bed away from Kaiba, but he was too slow, and the brunette fell on him, laughing manically the whole time.

"Take me by surprise will you? Laugh at _me_ will you? I'll teach you what it means to mess with Seto Kaiba!" the CEO yelled, laughing the whole time. His long fingers wrapped around one of Joey's wrists, pinning it to the bed, while his knee came down on Joey's back and kept his other arm crushed under his own body. With his one free hand, Kaiba began to mercilessly dig his fingers into Joey's ribs. It would have been called tickling, if it weren't so much closer to torture. Joey gasped and bucked his hips, trying desperately to free himself from Kaiba's firm grip. This time the laughter came uninvited and on impulse, and Joey could barely breath for gasping and pleas for mercy. Finally he managed to wriggle his other arm free of his torso and used it to push himself upright, dislodging Kaiba from his back. The brunette wheeled backward and stumbled to his feet by the bed. Taking the opportunity that the brief lull provided, Joey scrambled to the opposite side of the bed and the two boys stood facing each other, breathing deeply. Both had a feral grin on his face.

The momentary reprieve was broken by unspoken consent, and both boys lunged with wild cries at each other, meeting in the middle over Kaiba's bed. They both were playing for keeps; the wrestling was intense and neither was able to gain the upper hand for long; it appeared that for once, the boys were evenly matched. Joey was beginning to breathe hard, and the sweat trickling off his forehead kept distracting him, making his eyes sting, but he refused to give up; besides being naturally competitive, this was the best fun he'd had in ages, and Kaiba was grinning like a fox as well. Joey noticed dimly that Kaiba's well-worn shirt had torn in several places, leaving large areas of skin exposed.

For the umpteenth time, Joey found himself steadily being overpowered. He desperately grappled with Kaiba, but they were standing by the bed and the much taller teen was using his height advantage to great effect. Joey struggled vainly but finally felt his feet swept out from under him and the two boys toppled in a heap of limbs and hair. Unfortunately, while Kaiba looked to be falling safely toward the bed, Joey struck the edge of the mattress and continued his descent, landing painfully and flatly on his back on the floor. The breath flew out of him with a _whoomph_ , and he lay dazed for a second, before realising that Kaiba was not as safely abed as he'd thought- as the brunette came crashing down on top of him. The chuckles coming from Kaiba ceased as Joey let out a grunt of pain; Kaiba's elbow had connected squarely with his chest on the way, knocking the last of the wind out of him. Stars flickered lightly across Joey's vision as he sucked in a sweet mouthful of air.

"Wha! Sorry Wheeler, are you okay?" Joey could only let out a wheezy squeak in reply, and he felt Kaiba shift slightly to look him in the face. The brunette was laying atop him, almost along his full length, one knee drawn up slightly as he braced himself on the floor. Kaiba was looking into Joey's face with mild concern, the last traces of humour fading as he realised that Joey might actually be injured. "Wheeler! Earth to Mutt, are you ok?" He reached out a long-fingered hand pulled Joey's face down a little by the chin so that he could better look into the blonde's eyes. "Are you concussed? How many fingers am I holding up?" A couple of the long digits that had been grasping Joey's chin straightened, indicating two, before lowering again. One of them lightly grazed Joey's lower lip as Kaiba retracted his fingers, and suddenly Joey felt an enormous shift.

It struck him suddenly and with great force- the intimacy of the situation he was in with Kaiba. The brunette was still lying mostly along the length of Joey's body, and now that he was coming into greater awareness of their individual positions, Joey realised that during the fall, or perhaps when steadying himself, Kaiba's other hand had come to rest on his shoulder, uncomfortably close to his collarbone and neck. Both boys' hearts were beating madly, but to Joey's suddenly acutely sensitive awareness, it seemed as though it was more than the physical exertion that was causing his own heart to sputter so crazily. Kaiba's face was quite close to Joey's, as the brunette was still staring with mild concern into Joey's face to ascertain if he was in genuine pain. They were both breathing deeply still, and every breath out of Kaiba's rushed over Joey's face and neck, raising goosebumps.

Everything about Kaiba was suddenly very vivid to Joey- and terrifying. His scent was rich but familiar; his slightly sweaty hair had flopped forward over his forehead and Joey had an irrational desire to push it back with his fingers. Joey's suddenly hyper-sensitive body could feel every point at which Kaiba's body touched his own- it made his flesh burn yet feel icy cold all at once. Joey couldn't begin to understand what was happening, but he knew it terrified him to his marrow. His eyes widened and without realising it, became scared and beseeching. Kaiba's deep blue eyes locked with the amber gold of Joeys, and something shifted in his own gaze as the contact drew out. One of the fingers on Kaiba's hand resting on Joey's chin twitched slightly, as though Kaiba meant to move it but thought better of the action.

Suddenly, Joey gasped with horror, as he realised the unexpected, the unacceptable, the _impossible_ , was happening to him.

He was aroused.

The flash realisation of this, followed by a feeling of the deepest shame, made Joey buck violently, dislodging Kaiba in a whirl and causing the brunette to bang his elbow on the floor as Joey scrambled away and up the bed.

"Ow! Wheeler, what the fu-" Kaiba swore, sitting upright and looking around frantically to see where Joey had gone.

"Don't!" Joey shouted, cutting Kaiba off and bringing the boy up short as the made to pull himself up on the edge of the bed. Joey's face was aflame and he desperately tried to hide the evidence of his physical reaction behind a spare pillow. He wanted to scream or cry, or possibly laugh hysterically; his own horror was so acute that he simply could not deal with the emotions. Kaiba looked utterly bewildered, rubbing his elbow and slowly clamouring to his feet. He had no idea what was making Joey act so strangely and wondered if the blonde actually had knocked his head on the floor.

"Joey, what's wrong? Are you hurt?" Kaiba reached out as though to clasp Joey's shoulder but the blonde recoiled, throwing his hands up with an inarticulate cry and twisting himself off the bed and toward the door. "Joey! What's happened? What is wrong with you?" Kaiba made to follow Joey as the blonde rushed toward the door, but Joey turned slightly and rasped, "Just- _don't_ , alright?"

Kaiba pulled up short and stared with genuine concern and bafflement at Joey, who was shuffling toward the door, bent at the waist slightly. Suddenly the brunette's eyes flicked downward and his expression clouded. In a strangled voice he said, "Wheeler, have you got-"

" _SHUT UP_!" Joey howled, even more ashamed, as Kaiba continued to stare. "I uh- I just remembered, I promised Yugi I'd go see him. It- it totally slipped my mind. I'll be back later, 'kay?" Kaiba nodded silently, still standing powerlessly in the middle of the room. He looked more diminished than Joey had ever seen him, even after letting out his anguish over Mokuba. The expression on his face was difficult to read, but for once, it was neither mocking nor angry. "Just, just stay here, you're.. you're supposed to be sick. So don't go anywhere."

"Joey, I-" Whatever Kaiba was going to say was cut short as Joey made his hasty escape, slamming the heavy iron door of their cabin shut behind him. Joey turned and began running as fast as he could, unaware of the direction he was going, and only wanting to put as much distance as possible between himself and his roommate. Eventually his weariness got the best of him and Joey stopped, panting, to lean back against the smooth cold metal of the ship's wall. His feet slid out in front of him until Joey was sitting against the corridor, knees up and his arms wrapped around his legs. His panting became gasps, and his whole body shook with fear, shame, and anguish. He placed his forehead against his knees, and unbidden, a tear traced its way down his cheek.

 _What is wrong with me?_ He repeated the mantra in his head over and over, but no answer came.


	10. Confessions

"Joey."

The calm voice penetrated Joey's fogged mind, and the blonde peered up from his position on the floor where he'd stopped to rest. Joey's eyes were red with tears and his body was wracked with shivers. He stared up at the newcomer, only mildly surprised to see him standing there.

Yami moved to slide down the wall and sit next to his friend. Joey did not ask why Yami had come instead of Yugi; he knew that the smaller boy had asked his Dark Half to help his best friend.

"Joey. Are you alright." It was not a question, but Joey nodded feebly anyway. Yami's deep eyes would not be ignored and Joey found himself looking into the older, sterner version of his friend's sweet loving face. "Kaiba sent me. He did not say what had happened, but he was greatly concerned for your wellbeing. I believed him when he said he did not understand what had happened. Was I right to trust this?" Joey gave an almost imperceptible nod, his eyes on the floor, face red with shame.

Yami gave a small sigh and rested his head back on the wall behind him. He stared at the opposite wall for a time, allowing the silence to stretch out. Finally, just as Joey was beginning to think that maybe Yami didn't have anything to say, the wild-haired youth cleared his throat and murmured, "Tea is in love with Yugi."

Joey's head slowly came forward off the wall as he took in Yami's profile. He had opened his mouth to reply when Yami shook his head ever so slightly, indicating that he had more to say.

"Tea is in love with Yugi. Tea is in love with me. She loves both of us, and we both know it. She _knows_ we both know, yet this continues on." Yami lazily waved a long slender hand in a circular gesture; his fingers reminded Joey of Kaiba's long fingers. He slapped the thought down immediately with a savage grimace.

"I think we all know that Tea has feelings for you, Yami." Joey's voice sounded raspy in his own ears; coarse and ugly, after Yami's cultured tones. "How do you and Yug' feel about her? I had kinda thought that maybe you had feelings…?" Joey did not know where the conversation was going, but it made him faintly uncomfortable. Yami rarely said anything without a depth of meaning behind it.

The Pharaoh shook his head gently, both in humour and negation. "Oh, Joey. You were right there. I _kinda_ have feelings. I've kinda _always_ had feelings. Being with Tea on this ship has brought it to a head. I believe she put so much expectation on this vacation as her opportunity to finally claim one of us, that she did not consider the fact that neither of us wants her. We love her, yes, but not in the way she so desperately wishes."

The silence was ringing, as Joey wrapped his head around what Yami had said. It took several seconds, but finally his eyes widened in realisation, and with wild hand gesture, Joey garbled, "You? Yugi? You n' Yugi? _How?_ " The Hikari gave a grim smile and looked over at Joey. Yami's eyes were the only part of him that belied his ancient past; they were deep and sad and full of the pain and weight of the ages.

"Yes. I love Yugi. I believe Yugi has come to love me. I feel it through our connection, and it has allowed me to retain a body of my own far longer than I previously could." His eyes were suddenly faraway, a light amethyst that Joey had come to associate with whenever Yami talked of his Aibou. His long hands cradled his pyramid necklace as he spoke. "I never had a choice in the matter, really. Yugi has me tied more tightly than even he realises. How could I not love him, Joey? He is pure, and good, and brave. He believes only in the best in people. His capacity for love for others astounds me on a daily basis. How could I, dark, angry I, ever hope to compete with such innocence and goodness? I'm his in every sense of the word, and gladly; and he will always be _mine._ " This final part was said with a quiet ferocity that made the Pharaoh's eyes snap with a deep fiery red and stood Joey's hairs on end.

The blonde boy gaped at Yami, the one thought resounding in his mind: _he knows. Dear God, he knows. That's why he's telling me these things._ But when he opened his mouth, a question he didn't know had been forming slipped out instead. "Is your love… like, _physical,_ Yami?" He immediately flushed a deep red, and the fact that Yami did not laugh or look disgusted only made Joey more ashamed; there was no doubt in his mind now that Yami knew exactly what was causing Joey so much grief.

The spikey-haired youth tapped a lower lip with one long finger, considering the question. "It is difficult, Joey. More difficult I think than most people experience, as we share a link that runs so deeply it cannot be severed. It was not physical to begin with; it is not physical now. How could I long for somebody so young? So innocent? The very idea was repugnant. However… Do I yearn for Yugi? With every fibre of my being. I want nothing more than him; to be with him, to consume him, to be consumed _by_ him. His physical closeness strums at my atoms like an instrument. When he enters a room, I know it without even having to see him. He has helped me to become flesh, and with it, the yearnings of the flesh have arisen." Yami closed his eyes and Joey saw a trace of anguish enter his expression; however the main emotion showing on the Pharaoh's face was that of deep, calm acceptance.

Joey's eyes were wide and unblinking, taking in what Yami had said. It resonated with Joey, and images began to flash through his mind. The way Kaiba's closeness at dinner had seemed to make the air prickle with static; the constant thoughts always at the back of Joey's mind lately; where was Kaiba, what was he doing? How was he feeling? The incident just earlier in the bedroom, resulting in Joey's overreaction to an innocent circumstance. Joey could relate to so much of what Yami said, but he could not allow that final thought to become real. "Yami, don't you feel bad? Don't you feel like… like it's _wrong_ to feel that way about Yugi?" He gestured vaguely at Yami's body to illustrate his point.

Yami merely blinked at the blonde. "Joey- it is Yugi. I cannot choose not to love him any more than I can choose not to breathe. Gender has nothing to do with it. He is my soul mate."

Joey nodded, finally understanding. He felt ashamed all over again, however this time his shame was felt for negating his own emotions and logic so badly. He glanced up at Yami, and the other teen's eyes were full of nothing but compassion. "Joey. I believe that others can share the same bond that Yugi and I share. Ryou and his Bakura, for instance. Joined by fate and circumstance, those two nevertheless cannot survive without the other. I actually think Bakura understands that more than Ryou does." Joey nodded again- that made an odd sense. Although he could not imagine Bakura and Ryou being physical; theirs was a different link again, he decided.

"And I think you and Kaiba share that connection, also." This time Joey physically started, although he had been half expecting Yami to say something like this all along. He automatically began to shake his head in denial, but Yami placed a long cool hand on his arm. "You don't need to thoroughly understand these things right away, Joey. I think what was born in hatred has grown to something deeper between the two of you. Just- don't disregard him, okay? I have seen a great improvement in our friend Seto since this vacation began." With that, Yami stretched lithely before standing up in one fluid movement. "Come, my friend. My Aibou comes, and he is greatly worried about you. I think you need to go back to your room and work things out with Kaiba. And if you cannot face doing that just yet, at least get some sleep. You look terrible." Yami gave Joey a wan smile and put a hand out in offering. Joey stared at the hand for a moment before taking it and allowing Yami to haul him to his feet, wincing as his muscles protested being moved from his seated position.

Even though he towered over the shorter teen, Joey felt only inches tall. But for the first time since he had left his cabin in such a maddened flight, Joey felt a small sea of calm inside him. His emotions were still fraught, a tight strumming hum of energy; however he was better able to understand what he was feeling now, and why.

Joey looked at Yami and noticed that the boy's gaze had shifted beyond Joey to the hall behind them. Yami's expression was tender yet intense. Turning, Joey saw Yugi making his way toward them, a concerned yet loving smile on his face. Joey grinned at the youth, which Yugi returned in kind. "Heya Yug', this is one good friend we've got here. Thank you." Joey took two giant strides and engulfed Yugi in a bear hug that pushed the air out of the smaller boy, causing him to laugh breathlessly.

"Aw, Joey. That's ok. I was so worried about you. Kaiba said you had run off! Yami promised me he'd be able to find you." Yugi beamed at his partner over Joey's shoulder, and Yami smiled gently in return, his eyes a sober and deep purple. He took a step toward Yugi and lightly rested a hand on his partner's shoulder.

"Come, Aibou, Joey has had a long, tiring morning, and needs to rest. I think he will be alright now." Joey nodded in agreement and gave Yugi a little push toward his Hikari.

"Go, Yug', and really, thank you. You two are the best friends I could have ever asked for. I'll catch you tomorrow morning on the island, 'kay?" The two almost identical teens nodded together and turned to depart; as they did so, Yugi took Yami's hand and murmured, "Thank you, Yami." His partner lifted their joined hands and pressed his lips against the back of Yugi's hand, but said nothing. Joey watched them depart, before squaring his shoulders and amassing his thoughts.

 _That must have been very hard for Yami to talk about,_ he thought to himself. _But he trusted me with that. If he can be that brave, so can I._ Taking a deep breath, Joey allowed himself to say the unspoken thought he'd been hiding from for too long.

 _I want… I want Seto Kaiba. I may even love him. I don't know if this is real, or just crazy thinking, but I need to work that out and stop running from it._

And with that, Joey shook himself down and made his slow way back to his room, where hopefully somebody would still be waiting for him.


	11. Chapter 11

**Well, the last couple of chapters certainly drew some attention! You horn dogs you ;) Once again thanks for all the feedback and comments, I love that I have a few dedicated readers!**

 **I flew home today and on the 5- hour plane flight I managed to write Chapters 11 and 12, so I will upload them in quick succession. I hope you enjoy, and hopefully I can finish Chapter 13 nice and quickly for you!**

 **Disclaimer, as always, is that I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Jehbel**

* * *

Joey stood at the closed door to his cabin, taking deep calming breaths. He had spent the walk back psyching himself up to face Kaiba, although he still had no idea what he would say when he saw the brunette- should he just put his cards on the table and let Kaiba know how he felt about him? Or would that just freak the brunette out? Now that Joey understood that he was attracted to and had feelings for the sullen CEO, he did not want to risk scaring him away and ruining the tentative friendship that the two had struck up over the course of the cruise.

Joey's hand extended out and rested lightly on the handle. He was still utterly unprepared to go in there, but figured it would be far worse if he were caught skulking in the hall by Kaiba like some sort of creep. Sucking in a huge lungful of air, Joey turned the handle and quickly pushed the door open, slipping quietly into the room as he did so. As they adjusted to the gloom of the cabin, Joey's eyes flicked all about, trying to see where Kaiba was. When they did not locate the brunette, Joey realised that he wasn't in there. He was not sure if he felt relieved or disappointed, but his stomach was still jangling with anxiety and nerves. He let out the breath he had been holding the entire time, letting some looseness come back into his muscles as he did so.

Suddenly, the door swung open behind Joey, causing him to whip around and stumble backwards in surprise. Of course, it was Kaiba, and as soon as Joey's eyes locked onto the brunette, the tentative feelings he had only just begun to recognise rose up like a snarling animal to the forefront of his mind. He could feel the involuntary blush rise to his face as he realised he had automatically sucked his stomach in and tensed his muscles at the sight of Kaiba. The brunette had been looking down when he entered the room, a deep furrow between his piercingly blue eyes. As he spotted Joey however, his expression cleared into one of studious impassivity and he took a few large strides forward to stand in front of Joey.

Joey could feel himself trembling and knew deep down that he was not ready for this. Although Yami had helped him to see that he should not be embarrassed to feel the way he did about another boy, he still did not want to risk telling Kaiba and having him react in a 'traditional' way- with disgust, confusion and horror; all the feelings Joey had applied to himself just earlier. Plus, if the brunette were to reject Joey, he did not see how he could bear to live alongside Kaiba for another week yet.

Kaiba looked at Joey seriously. "Joey. You're back. Are you okay? I was very worried when you just ran off like that." Joey shifted ashamedly and tried to avoid his gaze. "I told Yugi… No wait, Yami- I told Yami that I was concerned about you. I am sorry for meddling, but… I felt like I was maybe the last person you wanted to see." At this, Kaiba frowned lightly and tilted his head a little before moving away to sit down on the edge of his bed. Once he was out of Joey's line of vision, the blonde was able to release his pent-up breath and relax a little, although he could almost feel the physical pull of Kaiba's presence even without seeing him. He wondered if this was what Yami had been talking about. The air in the room seemed to be crackling and fraught with tension, although Joey knew that it was all in his own head, as Kaiba was leaning forward on the bed rubbing his face. He looked about as exhausted as Joey felt.

"I'm sorry Kaiba; and I'm not mad- thanks for sending Yam' to come talk to me. He gave me some much-needed advice on something. Uh.. I'm sorry for freakin' out on you." Joey shuffled his feet and as he faced the young CEO, who was rubbing his chin and watching Joey with an impassive expression. When it became obvious that no explanation would be forthcoming from Joey, he gave a little shrug and stood.

"Well, no harm done then. I handed your essay into Ms. Hennessy, by the way."

"Cool. Wait- what?"

"You were gone for some while and I did not know if you would be back in time to finish it, so I typed it out for you and handed it in. By the way, I do _not_ have size 4 feet; if you're going to lie about me can you at least make it believable?" He smirked a little at Joey, drawing a reluctant smile from the blonde teen in response. "Right- so I know you said that you had an entire day of activities planned, but you were gone for so long that I don't think we really have time to do much before dinner. Do you mind if we take a raincheck? Besides, I really should catch up on work- I've been neglecting it too much lately." A faint frown crossed Kaiba's face as he said this, and Joey was happy to acquiesce to his request; he had planned to take Kaiba swimming, but it didn't take a high IQ to realise that this might be a bad idea in his current frame of mind.

Joey nodded and turned to head into the bathroom; he desperately needed a shower and maybe a nap before dinner. He was just about to close the bathroom door when Kaiba's long hand reached out to stop his progress. Joey peered through the gap at Kaiba, standing mere inches away, and his heart stuttered slightly.

"By the way, when I handed our assignments in to Ms. Hennessy, she told me that she was impressed with our teamwork this week- particularly your dedication to me when I was sick." He quirked an eyebrow as he said this and his mouth twitched a bit. "She has decided to rescind the condition around us partnering for all activities." He fell silent and watched Joey, awaiting the blonde's response. Joey stared back, silently dismayed, but he did not let it show, instead replying in a flat voice, "Well, that's good I suppose. I'll be out of your hair from now on, at least." Kaiba gave a small nod, but Joey had the feeling that he was unhappy with his reply. Then, looking up to meet Joey's eyes, Kaiba murmured, "If… if you want though… like, if you don't want to that's fine, but I thought maybe we could still partner up for the big game tomorrow…?"

Joey's heart melted a little. He could hardly have refused, even if he'd wanted to, for while the easing up of Ms. Hennessy's punishment would mean that Joey could spend more time with the gang, it also highlighted how very alone Kaiba was. Without the forced company of Joey, he had nobody to partner with- and it was likely that nobody else would _want_ to partner with the usually prickly CEO. Plus, on a deeper, more selfish level, Joey wanted to be around Kaiba as much as possible, even if it was agony knowing that at best the brunette only saw him as a friend, and at worst would shun and ridicule Joey if he found out about the feelings the blonde had for him. Realising he was still staring at Kaiba blankly, Joey flushed and nodded quickly.

"Yeh Kaibs, I think I can manage that." He gave the brunette a grin that was not quite up to his usual standard, but genuine nonetheless. "Now if you'll excuse me, I think I desperately need a shower, if the way _you_ smell is any indication. And then I think I'm gonna watch some cartoons and nap til dinner time." Kaiba wrinkled his nose at the mention of his own odour before turning away. "That sounds good, Wheeler. I may even join you for a bit." Joey's pulse skyrocketed at this but he quickly slapped down the surge of emotion, telling himself savagely that all Kaiba meant was that he'd also watch cartoons, _not_ join Joey in his bed as he'd immediately thought. _Enough of the dirty mind!_ He snarled at himself. Out loud he gave a laugh that was both too high and too loud to be real, making Kaiba look at Joey with faint confusion. "Great, Moneybags! See ya on the flip side!" Then Joey closed the door with a click, slapping his forehead at the same time and groaning quietly. _See you on the flip side? What the hell! Keep your shit together, Wheeler!_

It was going to be a long week.

Joey emerged from the bathroom a new man. The hot water had worked miracles and he felt a million times better. While the steaming stream had ran down his head and back, Joey had run through the day's events and decided firmly that it was not as bad as he'd thought. Sure, Kaiba was probably confused as to Joey's reaction and subsequent vanishing act, which he'd come to realise had been for several hours; he had not even noticed the time slip by while he was sitting in that hallway. How nobody found him before Yami had come along, he wondered? Besides that, however, the day had started off quite well, with the two boys working in a companionable silence for quite some time before the wrestling had started. And yes, while it ended shockingly, Joey could not deny that both he and Kaiba had had great fun. All was not lost- he just had to keep from making a fool of himself in front of the brunette for the next week, and then they would get home and he could put all this behind him. Joey was semi-convinced that his newfound feelings for Kaiba were merely a result of enforced living alongside the brunette for a week straight, with nobody else to talk to. He was sure that once he started seeing the gang more, after the big paintball game tomorrow, his feelings would fade and they could go back to the uneasy truce they'd developed. Joey did not doubt that after this cruise, he and Kaiba would no longer hate each other as they once did; but the big question was what sort of friendship they would have.

 _I just have to get through tomorrow._ He'd deal with each day as it came.

Kaiba was waiting by the bathroom door when Joey emerged, making the blonde jump a little in surprise. Kaiba had his thick white towel slung over his shoulder and was clearly keen to have a shower as well. He gave Joey a faintly shy smile and murmured, "You're welcome to sit on my bed to watch TV if you'd like- I know it's hard to see from where your bed is." Then he slipped past Joey into the steamy bathroom before the blonde could reply. Joey gaped at the closed door, his heart sputtering ridiculously. He knew that Kaiba was just being nice; probably worried about Joey's mental condition after his earlier meltdown, but Joey nonetheless was thrilled and scared by the offer. _But hell_ , he decided, moving over to where the queen bed was, its covers already thrown back in silent invitation. _If he's offered, he obviously doesn't mind if I sit on his bed. And besides, it's an innocent enough gesture. Get a grip, Wheeler._ Joey slipped under the top blanket and propped himself up on two pillows, pressing the on button. The low sounds of cartoons filtered through the quiet room, and Joey settled back with a sigh of contentment. The bed smelled faintly of Kaiba, and the scent calmed Joey. It was such a good smell.

Kaiba emerged from the bathroom, fully dressed in his well-fitting jeans and a black shirt and jacket. He made his way over to the bed and looked down at Joey, who was sprawled out in a starfish position, mouth open and slack. He was fast asleep. _That was quick,_ Kaiba mused to himself. _I was only about ten minutes._ With a shrug, the brunette moved around to the other side of the bed and peeled the sheet back carefully to avoid waking the now lightly snoring blonde. Kaiba reclined on his own pillow, arms behind his head. He considered turning the TV off but decided that the background noise was pleasant enough; besides, turning it off may wake the mutt beside him. With a wry chuckle, Kaiba turned his head to look at the oblivious Joey.

"What happened today, Wheeler?" He murmured, but very quietly so as to not wake his bedmate. Even so, Joey shifted a little from his position and turned onto his side, facing the brunette, his mouth still open. A lock of long golden hair flopped over his face, and without thinking, Kaiba reached forward and shifted it off his forehead with two long fingers. Then, with a faint sigh, Kaiba turned back to face the ceiling and closed his eyes. He too was exhausted- it had been an emotional couple of days.

* * *

After what seemed like mere seconds to the exhausted boy, Joey was being shaken awake again. With a groan, he flung an arm over his face and slurred, "fuggoff! Lemme sleep."

"I would, Wheeler, but I know how cranky you get when you're hungry, and I guarantee you'd wake up in a few hours and curse me for not waking you. So, _get up._ " Joey felt the sheet get whipped off his body and the sudden coolness made him shiver.

"Okay, okay, I'm up, I'm up… and I don't get cranky!" He scowled blearily at Kaiba who merely chuckled as he headed toward the door. Joey sighed but knew that the brunette was right; he'd never forgive Kaiba if he missed dinner! Heaving himself out of bed, Joey pulled on his favourite green jacket before following Kaiba out the door.

Dinner was agony. Not only did Joey have to sit next to Kaiba, which heightened his senses almost unbearably, but he had to sit opposite Yami and Yugi who were staring at him with large sage eyes like a pair of owls. Knowing what he now did about Yami and Yugi, as well as Tea and even Ryou and Bakura, Joey found it hard to act normally and several times he found various people staring at him with confusion or concern. Obviously they thought he'd lost his mind.

Ryou was patiently explaining to Bakura, yet again, it seemed, that paintball bullets were not real bullets and that unless he was incredibly unlucky, nobody would die from being shot by him. Bakura did not seem to like this answer and kept asking questions involving increasingly disturbing scenarios where he could actually succeed in causing a fatality, until Ryou was forced to admit that yes, in _that_ situation, the victim would most likely not survive. Bakura turned back to his soup with obvious satisfaction and began to noisily lap it up. Joey was a bit disgusted, as the red tomato soup looked particularly disturbing when Bakura was splashing in it like a murderous dog.

"-isn't that right, Joey?" Joey startled as he realised he'd been watching Bakura, slightly mesmerised, and had missed the end of Tristan's question.

"Huh- uh what? Sorry, I was distracted." Yami blinked at Joey calmly while Tristan frowned slightly in response.

"I _said_ , deafhead, that you and I are gonna go bungy-jumping sometime soon, isn't that right?" Joey's stomach sank almost to his feet. He _had_ promised Tristan that they'd go bungy-jumping ages ago, but had rather hoped his friend would forget about it. He _hated_ heights! Internally he groaned and had just opened his mouth to reply, when Kaiba interjected.

"Joey doesn't like heights. I doubt you'll see him voluntarily bungy-jumping anytime soon, Tristan." He said this almost brusquely to Tristan, who looked surprised and a little affronted. "Perhaps you should go with somebody who would actually enjoy flinging themselves off a bridge." Joey stared at Kaiba, surprised by his apparent aggression toward Tristan. He also wondered how Kaiba knew he didn't like heights- he had never said anything to the brunette before, had he? Without thinking he looked toward Yami, who was staring back gravely. His eyes however were knowing.

"Well, whatever. I wouldn't expect you to understand what it means to make a promise to a friend anyway," Tristan muttered, turning back to his dinner. Joey bridled in defence of Kaiba but didn't say anything, not wanting to cause an argument to erupt. Beside him, Kaiba laughed humourlessly to himself but said nothing.

An uncomfortable silence fell over the table, broken only by the sounds of Bakura and Ryou murmuring to each other. From what Joey could understand, a passing student had accidentally bumped Ryou's chair and not apologised. Bakura wanted to go over and teach the student some manners, with the aid of a shard of glass he'd somehow concealed in his jacket. Ryou was quietly yet urgently trying to make Bakura stay put, which seemed to only be riling his partner up further. Joey shook his head, thanking the Gods that at least he didn't have to deal with a Hikari as unstable as Bakura.

"Here." Kaiba's voice interrupted Joey's thoughts and he glanced across in time to see Kaiba slide three of his cherry tomatoes across to Joey plate. "I know these are your favourite, and I'm not really a fan." This simple, kind gesture was too much for Joey- it was hard enough feeling the way he did about Kaiba, but it was made all the worse when the brunette was actually nice to him! He had been acting like a fool all night because of that damned CEO; every time he cracked a joke, Joey would laugh far more than was required. Every time he brushed Joey's arm or leg by accident, the blonde's entire body would jolt as though electrocuted and he would flush hot and cold over and over. Worst of all though, was that Joey was all too easy to read into any innocent gesture as loaded with meaning, and he was now as tightly strung as a piano wire. Joey scooted his chair back and gave the broader table an apologetic glance.

"Er, thanks, Kaibs, but I think I'm actually gonna take off. I'm still kinda weary. Plus I need my strength for tomorrow's game- it sounds like we're all gonna have to watch out for Mr. Psycho over there." He gestured over toward Bakura, who now had the offending student held in the air by his shirt collar, demanding he apologise to Ryou.

Kaiba nodded in reply but made no move to join Joey. Feeling oddly disappointed, Joey waved at his friends and made his way back to his room alone. 


	12. Chapter 12

**I'll just leave this here :)**

 **-Jehbel**

* * *

The morning loomed bright and full of promise. Joey bounced out of bed with all the excitement of a puppy and donned his favourite clothes- jeans, white shirt, green jacket. Feeling much better than he had yesterday, Joey made his bed- it _did_ make him feel more organised- and headed to breakfast. He noticed that Kaiba had already left, but he could smell the CEO's distinctive cologne and knew he had not left too long before Joey. The thought of seeing Kaiba made Joey's stomach flip a little in excitement, but he pushed the thought down. Today was not for mooning about after the brunette. Today was about paintball! Joey felt a wide grin stretch his face as he strode to the dining hall.

The students were all milling about inside the dining hall, where several long tables had been set up. The teachers were taking a list of names of students who wished to play paintball, and recording the activities chosen by those who did not wish to participate. As Joey stood amongst the jostling crowds, he scanned the room for his friends, but could not see anybody. He had just decided to sign up and head to the island to find the gang when he felt a prickle run down his scalp, and he turned unerringly to see Kaiba pushing his way through the students toward him. The CEO looked _good._ He was wearing black jeans and stylish shoes, with a deep blue T-shirt underneath a black canvas jacket. _Only Kaiba could make paintball glamourous,_ Joey thought with some humour. He waved at the approaching CEO and joined him midway through the crowd.

"Joey." His heart lurched a little as Kaiba said his name. _God, you are so ridiculous,_ he thought to himself. Kaiba grabbed him by the upper arm and started pulling him away from the thick mass of students. "I signed you up for paintball already; it's a mad house in there. Let's head down to the island and take a look at the battleground, huh?" Joey nodded, touched that Kaiba had thought to sign him up already, and overly distracted by the feeling of the CEO's long fingers digging into his arm. His stomach began fluttering with nerves and he sighed internally at his own silliness.

As the two boys made their way down the ramp to the beach, they noticed several students were already in attendance. Bakura was already kitted up, holding a paintball gun that somehow looked far deadlier and sinister in his hands. He gave Joey a grin that was basically just bared teeth, before moving over to stand in front of Ryou. He seemed to be feeling very protective that day and was making it clear that anybody with an eye on his Aibou, had to go through him first. Joey decided to leave those two well alone. Joey and Kaiba made their way to the equipment station, where the bored looking instructor showed them how to put on their vests, how to use and reload their weapons, and pointed out the little button on each vest's top right shoulder.

"This button is attached to a tracker. If you get hit with a kill shot and 'die' during the game, you must press this button. This will tell us who has 'died' and who is left. We give out prizes to the last man standing. Each game will last about one to two hours, and each game will vary. Some will involve a free-for-all, others will require you to pair up, and others again may consist of two larger teams in a capture-the-flag type scenario. Once you hear the siren blast, make your way immediately to the start point of the ruins, as that means the game is over and a new one will begin soon. Do not leave the ruins area, do not aim for the face, do not vandalize the obstacles or any part of the paintball arena. Understood?" Joey and Kaiba nodded, both feeling a bit dazed at the rapid fire instructions.

"Good. The first game type will be a free-for-all. When you hear the announcement, gather over there at the start point. You will hear a chime and that means you have two minutes to spread out and find a good hiding spot or strategic point. When you hear the single horn blast, the game has started." He gave them a weary smile. "Have fun."

Joey and Kaiba wandered over to the start point, where many students were now gathering. Joey was surprised to see that not as many students had signed up for paintball as he'd expected, however it was still a good number. He spotted Yugi in the crowd alongside Tristan, but there was no sign of Tea or Yami. Joey did not really expect that Tea would want to play paintball but he'd have thought Yami would be in the thick of it.

Yugi gave Joey a wide smile, but he was already slightly pale. Physical sports were not really his thing, and shooting people and being shot at was definitely not something he relished. Joey clasped him lightly on the shoulder and grinned at the shorter boy. "Mornin' Yug'! Good day to be hunting people, aint it?" He laughed a little at Yugi's disapproving expression. "One bit of advice before we go in there and become mortal enemies-" Yugi eagerly leaned in, keen for any advice that would keep him in the game- "… don't let anybody hit you." Then Joey moved away, laughing as Yugi scowled after him and called out, "real helpful Joey! Glad to know you've got my back!"

Joey, still chuckling, looked about and was mildly surprised to see Kaiba standing with him. "Kaibs, you know this one is a free-for-all, right? So you don't have to partner with me if you don't want to." Internally though he was overjoyed to see the taller teen still standing with him.

Kaiba blinked. "Oh, I know, don't worry. But I was thinking- two heads makes better than one, even if one of them is only _your_ head." He grinned at Joey's answering scowl. " _So_ , I propose we stick together for a bit, at least until Bakura has been defeated, and then we do our own thing. What do you think?" Joey pondered for a moment but really, he had already decided. Not only would they be far more effective working together as a team, but it saved Joey the anguish of wondering constantly where Kaiba was and how he was doing. Nodding, Joey put his hand out and shook Kaiba's.

"You're on, Kaibs, but I warn you- when we do eventually split up, I aint going easy on you, just coz I like you." Kaiba looked surprised momentarily, before grinning widely and pumping Joey's hand once more. "You're on, Mutt."

Just then, the boys heard a loud voice crackle over the loudspeakers. _"Students, please gather in the starting area. The first game is about to start. Repeat: please gather in the starting area. The first game is about to start. On the chime, you may begin to explore the ruins. When you hear the horn, the game has begun. Good luck!_ " The loudspeakers faded to a crackly silence, and moments later a tinkling chime sounded over the field.

The game had started!

Joey and Kaiba glanced at each other before breaking into a jog and heading into the ruins. Students were beginning to scatter all about them and their shrieks and hoots of glee could be heard echoing from all directions. Joey could also hear Bakura snarling with wild excitement as he made his way through the crumbling buildings and walls, frightening the wits out of those he encountered. Joey shivered and called softly to Kaiba, "Let's hang a left here; I want to be as far away from that nutjob as I can get." Kaiba didn't respond but began to turn to the left, Joey following close behind.

The ruins were fantastic. They were not just a couple of crumbling old brick walls as Joey had expected, but were a labyrinth of half-formed structures, thick jungle and even a few deep trenches. As Joey and Kaiba pushed their way through some dense undergrowth, the silence was almost tangibly thick, with only the faint shrill scream of insects and the boys' deeper breathing breaking through the hush. They had since slowed to a walk, and had not seen anybody else for quite some time, however this only heightened their excitement and both boys were already flushed with the thrill of the hunt. Kaiba, having taken the lead, was already looking slightly dishevelled, his hair in disarray and a twig poking out on a crazy angle. Joey chuckled slightly, remembering the feather that had caused him so much amusement the previous day.

Suddenly, a single blaring horn sounded, and both boys pulled up short, their breath held with anticipation. Almost immediately, the faint popping sounds of guns firing began to permeate the area, and Joey was alarmed to hear guns going off quite close by. It was easy to imagine that they were all alone out here, but clearly they were not as far from the others as they'd thought. Kaiba's hand shot out, grabbing Joey's, and making the blonde boy jump with fright.

"Christ Kaiba you almost gave me a heart attack-" Joey began, but Kaiba pulled him along, interrupting to say frantically, " _shut up, someone is coming!"_ Joey strained his ears and true enough, he could make out the sounds of someone crashing through the forest toward them. His heart leapt into his throat and when Kaiba cried out, "RUN!" he did so without argument, excitement making him outrun the taller brunette for once, pulling Kaiba along behind him.

The boys burst into a slight clearing, and all hell suddenly broke loose. The sputtering and popping of paintball guns sounded all about them, and explosions of colour began to pepper the surrounding walls and trees, already a stained purple-brown from countless paintball battles before them. Joey released Kaiba's hand and flung one arm up in front of his face for protection, skidding and scrambling about trying to avoid the crossfire. He felt a paintball hit his forearm and lower knee, but neither shot constituted a 'kill' and Joey was able to scramble to cover behind a low bush before he was eliminated from the game. Soil and vegetation flew in tufts around him as his attackers fired at the bush he was behind, but none could quite get through to him. Arm burning but still held over his forehead for protection, Joey looked about frantically but could not see Kaiba anywhere. _Dammit I've lost him_! He thought frantically, trying to come to grips with the situation he was in. The shooting seemed to go on and on.

Finally, through the cracks and pops of the guns firing, Joey could hear another sound echoing through the clearing- his attackers were crying out and cursing. The shots being fired at Joey were lessening and he risked poking his head out to see what was going on. He could see several students angrily making their way to the clearing to sit down, spattered with paint and their buttons all flashing red to indicate they were 'dead'. Joey noticed that all the players had paint marks on their torsos and faces, and just as a thought formed in his mind, he heard the maniacal laughter of Bakura floating through the trees. Joey groaned out loud. Granted, Bakura had probably saved him from being wiped out by the ambush, but he had no doubt in his mind that the white-haired teen would turn his gun to Joey in a heartbeat. In fact, Joey doubted very much whether Bakura was even playing by the rules- he was probably just shooting anything he laid eyes on.

Joey was just about to resign himself to laying behind the bush for however long it took Bakura to leave, when he heard a hiss from right behind him. Wheeling about, Joey pointed his gun right into Kaiba's face. Then, recognising the newcomer, he lowered it and gaped. "K-Kaiba! I thought for sure they'd got you!"

"Only on the hip; not a kill shot. Come on, we have to get out of here, that freak is just over there!" Joey whipped his head around and peered through the trees, but he could not see Bakura. "Come on, Wheeler, move it!" Joey nodded and scrambled to his feet, chasing after the retreating Kaiba who was weaving through the trees and crumbling walls with ease. Joey followed as best he could, ears straining for any sound that would indicate that Bakura was coming after them.

Suddenly, Joey realised he could no longer see Kaiba. Panicking slightly, he made for a low brick building that appeared to be mostly intact. Slowing to a walk, Joey made his way through the brick rooms, which had a surprising number of trick walls and alcoves. It was almost completely dark inside some rooms, with only a few beams of weak light filtering through the cracks in the brickwork. Joey felt as though he were actually in a war bunker; it was oppressive and more than slightly creepy in here alone.

Although he wasn't alone, he suddenly realised, when he heard the distinctive sound of a boot scuffing a piece of stone, the sharp clattering echoing off the walls and making it impossible to discern where it had come from. Joey's heartrate increased a hundred times and his breathing was jagged with anticipation. "Kaiba? Was that you?" he hissed as quietly as he could.

 _"Come out, little mouse, this cat wants to play."_ The sniggering voice echoed from nearby, causing Joey's hairs to stand on end. Bakura was in the building with him. " _Why O why won't anybody play with me? Do you not LIKE me? Do I SCARE YOU?"_ The voice peeled off into evil laughter, and suddenly Bakura was firing his gun in all directions. Joey felt a paintball graze his cheek and knew that he was close to being discovered. As silently as possible, Joey backed up until he hit a wall, then he began to sidle sideways away from the direction of Bakura's laughter. God, it was scary in the dark with that rabid monster on the loose! _My only hope is to find an alcove and hide out until Bakura leaves, or walks past so I can shoot him back. Although knowing him, he'll probably continue to play anyway and ignore all the rules._ Joey did his best to breath silently, moving with utmost care. He could hear Bakura cursing and from the noises that were coming from the next room, it sounded as though Ryou's partner was dismantling a brick wall with his bare hands.

 _"I'm COMING for you! I'm COMING and I'll GET you!"_ Joey's heart leapt into his throat and he began to move faster along the wall, his palm reaching out to feel his way.

Suddenly the wall no longer continued, and a pair of hands reached out and grabbed Joey, pulling him backward into an alcove. Joey bellowed with fear, but a hand clamped itself over his mouth and he felt a breath hiss in his ear, _"Shut up fool, it's me!"_ Joey slumped against Kaiba with relief, who had his back against the alcove wall and his spare arm around Joey's chest, holding the blonde boy pinned back against him. Joey realised the alcove was extremely shallow, more an indent really, and with both boys hiding in it, it was extremely cramped. Kaiba's harsh breath ruffled Joey's hair from behind him and Joey could feel the brunette's heart thumping crazily against his back.

"God, he's terrifying isn't he, that freak," Kaiba murmured, and Joey nodded in fervent agreement. They could hear Bakura moving through the room, but he was on the other side now and it seemed as though he was going to pass through without finding them. The sounds of his search slowly faded until the only thing Joey could hear was his and Kaiba's ragged breaths and his own heartbeat sounding deafeningly in his ears. Now that the excitement was fading, Joey realised that Kaiba still had one arm wrapped around his chest, and the other, while no longer covering his mouth, had slid down until it was resting loosely around his neck and collarbone. Joey's heartbeat sped up again for a whole new reason, and he suddenly felt warm all over, which was odd as he kept getting prickles of cold flicker over his scalp as well. The nervous excitement he felt was heightened by the fact that it was so dark he could barely make out Kaiba's profile in the little alcove. Joey shifted slightly in discomfort and Kaiba's arm tightened ever so slightly around him. He felt Kaiba's face turn toward his own, beside his neck, and the brunette whispered, "What's wrong? Do you hear someone coming?" His breath was warm on Joey's cheek and it suddenly struck the blonde how easy it'd be for him to turn his head to the side and meet Kaiba's lips with his own. The thought made him squirm with embarrassment and Kaiba's grip around his chest finally relented, letting Joey step away a little, however Kaiba's hand tightened around a fistful of Joey's jacket, causing Joey to spin slightly mid-step and turn to face the brunette.

"N- no, I didn't hear anything," Joey stammered, his mind a mass of confusion. Kaiba's nearness was almost unbearable, and the intimate situation had his thoughts running wild. "I uh, just thought… well maybe we should move on?" He realised that as he spoke, Kaiba had stepped forward, so that as Joey turned, his back was against one wall of the alcove, with Kaiba standing opposite him against the other wall. He could feel rather than see Kaiba watching him through the darkness.

"Yes, I suppose we should probably get going," Kaiba agreed blandly, and Joey again felt both immensely relieved and slightly disappointed. "But first of all, there is something I need to do." Joey cocked his head to the side, straining his ears to hear what Kaiba was doing, but all the brunette seemed to be doing was standing still, facing Joey, his breath coming quickly as though he were frightened. Joey took a step forward and reached out, his fingers brushing against some part of Kaiba he could not identify in the dark. "Kaiba? You alright? Waddya need to do?"

"This." And suddenly, a hand whipped out and grasped Joey's extended palm, threading its fingers through his and pushing it up over Joey's head until it struck the brick wall behind him. Joey gasped with surprise, and Kaiba gasped in response- then suddenly, the brunette was gripping Joey's head in his spare hand, his body pushed to its full length along Joey's, now pinned flat against the wall. Joey could barely understand what happening before Kaiba's mouth unerringly found his own in the inky darkness.


	13. Chapter 13

Joey was completely and utterly unprepared. Kaiba's mouth had pressed itself to his with enough force that their teeth had clacked together slightly; Kaiba's kiss was not chaste or quick but forceful and almost invasively persistent. The hand cradling Joey's head balled up to grab a fistful of blonde hair, tugging Joey's head back slightly to allow Kaiba greater access to the blonde's face. Joey's mind was blank; he could barely comprehend that Kaiba, _Seto Kaiba_ , the source of his anguish for the last week, was kissing him. Without knowing it, Joey's spare hand moved up to rest gently against Kaiba's shoulder- partly to brace himself against the taller boy's solid chest, but also because Joey felt an almost overwhelming need to touch Kaiba. At his touch, Kaiba groaned, deep in his throat, and he pressed himself further against Joey's body, pinning his full length against the solid brick behind them. Joey felt weak and out of control; Kaiba was a solid and warm weight holding him upright.

It suddenly came to Joey that he was standing in a pitch black alcove, kissing the very person he'd been lusting after, while a deranged fiend hunted for them just outside. The situation was so absurd as to almost be comical, and Joey made a grunting noise, at the same time pushing ever so slightly against Kaiba's shoulder with his hand. Almost immediately, Kaiba pulled himself back from Joey, gasping for air and reeling backward until his own back was against the alcove wall, facing Joey in the darkness. Both boys were breathing harshly; Joey slowly raised a hand to his lips, which were hot and tingled with the onrush of cool air. Joey didn't know what to say, and he was loathe to break the moment, but he could feel the emotions rolling off Kaiba in waves and knew that if he did speak now, the moment would be lost forever.

"K-Kaiba? What-?" It was all Joey could manage. His voice sounded loud and harsh in the small intimate space, and he flinched at the thought of Bakura lingering somewhere just outside. Kaiba took a deep shuddering breath, and Joey heard him slap the brick wall behind him with force. Was Kaiba angry? Joey had the sudden irrational thought that perhaps he was a bad kisser.

"I'm sorry, Joey." Kaiba's voice was severe; it sounded as though he was in great pain. Joey stared unblinkingly at his very dim silhouette, trying to make sense of the boy's sudden anguish. "Kaiba?" His stomach was flipping with butterflies- the kiss had been more real, yet more surreal, than anything he'd ever experienced, and already he was beginning to wonder if it had even happened.

"I didn't mean to take it so far." Kaiba ground out, bringing his hands up to his face. His voice continued, muffled. "I've wanted to do that for so long. I know it's wrong, and I know what you must think of me now, but I _had_ to. It was agony, being so close to you. God, I feel so stupid! I know you're not like that, but I… I just had to. I'm sorry."

Joey rocked on his feet. Kaiba was saying that he wanted Joey! His heart leapt into this throat as he realised what this meant, and he couldn't help the enormous grin that split across his face. He could barely believe it. Suddenly he realised that all his pent-up terror and anguish over revealing himself to Kaiba didn't matter; the brunette felt the same way! A wave of joy almost sent Joey to his knees, and he was glad for the darkness hiding his expression- with a flushed face and Cheshire cat grin, he knew he probably looked demented. A bubble of joy rose in his throat and burst out, as a small giggle. In the darkness, the shape of Kaiba's head raised a little at the sound. Joey found himself all-out laughing- the relief was just so great.

Kaiba suddenly made a gasping sob, immediately sobering Joey to silence. _Poor Kaiba probably thinks I'm mocking him_ , Joey thought- and he knew exactly how much he'd feared receiving that exact same reaction if Kaiba ever found out how he felt.

Taking a deep breath, Joey stepped forward, and finally closed the gap between them.

Raising both hands to Kaiba's wrists, he pulled the brunette's hands down off his face, taking a step closer until they were almost chest to chest. Then, leaning forward until Kaiba had no choice but to look him in the face, Joey said quietly, but with a voice loaded with joy and desire; "Kaiba, I am _exactly_ like that." He heard Kaiba's breath hitch in his throat, and almost on instinct, leaned in and placed his mouth on Kaiba's.

This time the kiss was not aggressive; it was gentle and tentative, as unsure as only first love can be, but all the more joyous for it. Joey felt Kaiba's entire body stiffen with surprise, before relaxing and accepting him. He felt the brunette's long arms tentatively encircle him in a sweet embrace, pulling Joey the final distance until both boys were again pinioned together. Joey could feel Kaiba quivering and knew the flood of emotions that were coursing through the taller teen, as he was feeling the same way. Slowly, questioningly, their mouths began to work against each other, moving in a rhythm of lust and exploration. Kaiba's tongue quickly probed Joey's mouth, startling him; but it wasn't unpleasant and he responded in kind, making the brunette hum with energy. Joey recalled the way Kaiba had gripped his hair, and tried the same; as he tugged gently on the brunette locks, Kaiba groaned deep in his throat. _Fuck that's hot_ , Joey thought, the noise making him react instinctively and deepen his kiss with the taller boy.

Joey's hands were against Kaiba's chest, but now they slid down his sides until his hands were on Kaiba's hips. The movement made Kaiba push his hips against Joey's, and the blonde could feel Kaiba's physical reaction through his jeans. Joey slid his hands inside Kaiba's shirt and dragged them up and down his back, digging his fingers in as he tried to pull the brunette ever closer to him. Kaiba pulled away from Joey's face with a gasp, before plunging back in to slowly kiss Joey on his neck and shoulder. Breathing deeply, Kaiba murmured, "I have _never_ wanted anything as much as I want you. I never thought I could have you." Joey groaned a little as Kaiba's words travelled straight to his groin, making his jeans feel uncomfortably tight.

"I… I had no idea. I thought I was alone, but Yami guessed the truth-" Joey started. Kaiba pulled back to scrutinise Joey, but he kept his hands on Joey's shoulders as though scared Joey would fade away if he let go for even a second. Joey looked down for a moment, before turning his face to Kaiba and raising a hand to trace the brunette's mouth with a finger. "I've been tearing myself apart for the last few days, so scared of how you'd react if I let slip how I felt. God, you have no idea how good this feels!" He felt the hum of laughter in Kaiba's chest as the taller teen pulled him into a crushing hug.

"If a few days is all you've been suffering for, then consider yourself lucky; it's been this way for me for far longer." Joey blinked as he absorbed this information.

"How long? The other night, when you were upset about Mokuba, you said you came on this cruise for me… is this what you meant?" He felt Kaiba stiffen at the mention of his brother and dug his fingers into the flesh of his back in sympathy.

"Did I say that? I suppose it's true. After… after Mokuba and I argued, I was so angry. I had considered leaving, but I had nowhere to go. I did not want to be alone, but I had nobody else besides my brother in my life. So I decided to join the cruise. I knew you'd be here and although I tried not to think about it, I was excited by the idea. I wasn't faking though when I was upset about sharing a room with you." He chuckled to lessen the sting of that final comment, and Joey pulled back a bit to try and look Kaiba in the eyes; a difficult thing in the darkness. "The idea of living alongside you, for two whole weeks, was horrible. Having to look at you, listen to you, smell your scents… God, the number of nights I've laid awake just wanting to slip over into your bed with you…" He sighed deeply and put his nose in Joey's hair near the top of his ear. Whispering, he continued. "I can't believe you're here, in the flesh, not repulsed by me… It's more than I deserve." Joey shook his head in silent negation, but did not reply. There was no need to; they had finally found each other, and that was enough.

Joey was just considering practicing his newfound kissing skills again, when Kaiba gave a slightly anguished groan and pushed him away gently. "Whatsamatter?" Joey asked, still slightly dazed from the whirlwind events of the last few minutes. Kaiba reached out and took his hand but made no move to embrace the teen again.

"We should probably get moving. I do not know how long we have been in here but there can't be many students left. If we stay here, I will want to fuck you, and I don't really want that to happen for the first time in a dank old room with Bakura nipping our heels." Joey flushed at his words and again felt the physical reaction to them. Staying in the room with Kaiba seemed like a fantastic idea to him, but he understood that their bubble of peace would not last forever. Sighing, Joey nodded in agreement, and although Kaiba couldn't see the action, he somehow knew that Joey had responded and began to lead the blonde out of the room by the hand. Kaiba's thumb kept playing small circles on the back of Joey's hand, making it very difficult for him to concentrate.

As they made it to the exit, Kaiba released Joey's hand and grasped his paintball gun more securely. Joey did the same, following behind Kaiba silently. The boys emerged into the silent bush; in the distance, a spattering of gunfire sounded, but died off quickly, leaving nothing but the sounds of insects and twigs snapping under their feet. Looking all around, Kaiba began to step forward carefully, his gun poised and ready to fire at a moment's notice. In light of the recent enormous events, Joey was having trouble focusing on the job at hand, his gaze frequently sliding to rest on Kaiba, taking in his floppy brown hair, his broad shoulders, his long lean legs. Kaiba suddenly turned and glanced over his shoulder, catching Joey mid-ogle, his eyebrow raised in questioning humour; he knew exactly what Joey was doing. Flushing slightly, Joey looked away quickly.

Straight into Bakura's eyes.

Before Joey could do any more than gasp in surprise, the white-maned teen was hurtling out of his hiding place like a loose propeller, spitting and howling with animalistic glee. At his gasp, Kaiba had spun around immediately, as though he'd been expecting it, and aimed his gun, letting off a stream of shots with calm precision. Bakura was struck; once, twice, three times, all in kill shot areas, but he did not stop. Joey could see that he already was streaked with paint, and was clearly operating outside of the game rules now. Bakura tackled Joey to the ground and grappled with him, laughing wildly the entire time. It seemed that he was now out of bullets, and was trying to obtain Joey's gun in order to continue playing.

" _I've GOT you, Wheeler! I've GOT YOU!"_ he was crying, clearly deranged with excitement. Bakura was sitting astride Joey, who saw with a flash of fear that he had a knife handle emerging from his coat pocket. As they wrestled and grappled for Joey's gun, Bakura began to reach for his knife, a determined glint in his deep brown eyes. Joey bucked his hips and swore at the wild-haired boy, trying to dislodge him, a real trickle of fear beginning to creep up his spine. The knife was rusty and looked ominously as though it had been used many times.

Suddenly Bakura stiffened, his eyes looking out beyond the clearing. His hair seemed to bristle like a dog's hackles, and he bared his teeth in fury. " _Ryou!"_ he spat, suddenly standing up to tower over Joey. His fists were clenched with white-knuckle rage, and the paintball from Kaiba's gun that abruptly splattered over his chest went unnoticed. Bakura looked out through the jungle, and Joey thought he heard somebody cry out Bakura's name. Suddenly the teen was off him and scampering through the trees, snarling and shouting, _"Ryou! I am coming! I WILL KILL YOU FOR TOUCHING MY AIBOU, SCUM!"_ Joey realised that another student must have found Ryou's hiding place and was even now eliminating him from the game. He shuddered to think of what Bakura would do to whoever had dared touch his partner.

Joey lay on the ground, panting and looking about wildly. Feeling himself all over, he realised that he still had his paintball gun, but his shirt was torn and he had a long scratch down one side of his face. _Did Bakura SCRATCH me?!_ He though with disgust, as a faint smear of blood came away on his fingers. He tried to recall whether the scratch had been caused by fingernails or that rusty knife; he wasn't even sure which option would be least disturbing.

"Joey! Are you alright?" Kaiba was kneeling down by his side, holding out a hand to steady Joey as the blonde sat up shakily.

"Yeh, I'm alright, thanks Kaiba. Yeesh I thought was a goner for a minute there!" As Kaiba pulled him to his feet, their clasped hands lingered in their hold, and Joey's breath caught slightly in his chest as he locked eyes with Kaiba. Leaning forward slightly, Kaiba wiped a long finger gently over Joey's scratch, grimacing slightly at the blood. "God, he really needs to be locked up." Joey nodded, and smiled at the brunette. Then his gaze shifted slightly, to Kaiba's mouth, and his eyes took on a different expression. Kaiba shook his head with a small smile and turned away.

"Don't look at me like that, Wheeler. We need to finish this game first- and I don't know if my self-control can manage a second time- so unless you want to be ravaged here in this clearing, you'll stop giving me that look." Joey stared at his back, his heart thumping painfully. _How does he manage to do that to me? Everything he says sounds so damned hot!_  
Then he narrowed his eyes at Kaiba's retreating form, his mouth twisting into an evil smile as a thought came to him.

"Arrrgh! Kaiba! Quick! They're here!" He shouted, tinging his voice with alarm, as though somebody was attacking him. Predictably, the brunette spun around, gun ready, looking all about him.

"Where? Where?" He cried, running back into the clearing where Joey stood.

"Why, right here." Joey replied cheerfully, before raising his gun and firing straight at the brunette.

Kaiba's vest exploded into a mass of colours as paint splattered all over his chest and stomach. Wheeling back, he dropped his gun and stared at Joey in shock, who was now laughing madly and pointing at Kaiba.

"What- what the _hell-_ " He began, before Joey strode over to him, grinning like a fox. Reaching up, Joey pressed the 'dead' button on Kaiba's jacket with his thumb, while the other hand slid around to grasp the hair behind Kaiba's head.

"I warned you I wouldn't take it easy on you just because I like you, Moneybags. And now we are one step closer to _finishing this damned game_." With that, Joey pulled Kaiba's mouth to his, quite effectively closing the topic.

When the siren blared to signal the end of the game, it was discovered that in fact Yugi had managed to remain the last man standing- Joey came in second. As the boys congratulated each other, Yugi reached up to pluck a twig from Joey's messy hair.

"Gosh Joey, you're a wreck! You look like you've been through the wars, alright! Did you enjoy the game? It was a bit scary at times I thought!" Joey flung an arm around Yugi's shoulders and walked with him back to the starting area, where students were enjoying some food and drink. However, as they walked, Joey glanced back to the tall brunette figure following some distance behind. Eyes twinkling, Joey replied.

"You can say that again Yug'- that was one of the scariest things I've ever done. But-" And here the amber eyes met piercing blue ones- "I'm glad I played the game."

* * *

It was not until much later that evening that Yugi thought back to the paint-free state of Joey's jacket, and he wondered how Joey's 'dead' button had come to be pressed. However, by the time the purple-eyed teen lay down to rest that night, his hand gently holding Yami's, the question was already fading from his mind. By morning it was gone entirely.


	14. Chapter 14

**NOTE: This chapter contains the beginning of detailed sexual activity. Turn away the kiddies!**

 **I hope you enjoy this chapter- not having tonnes of experience in this sort of writing before (*ahem*), I would appreciate any feedback. I am really quite fond of the Yami/Yugi relationship going on here; I am tempted to write about them next.**

 **Have fun!**

* * *

Four more games of paintball were played that day, but neither Joey nor Kaiba came close to winning again, distracted as they were by the momentous turn of events that had unfolded that morning. Ryou was escorted back to the ship in disgrace following an incident with another student, when Bakura bit their arm in retaliation for a perceived wrongdoing. Ryou took the punishment however as he worried that if he was seen entering the ship later on, the teachers would assume he had ignored their instructions to return to his rooms; and that would only mean more trouble.

A celebratory BBQ was held that night on deck, followed by an open-air movie night. The ship had reached its furthest point and would begin the journey home the following morning. Joey had the feeling that the celebrations that night were for the teachers as much as the students; the finish line was in sight now!

Joey and Kaiba made their way back to their cabin to wash up before dinner. They walked together, studiously not touching; while Joey was no longer ashamed of how he felt for the brunette, he wasn't quite ready to be peppered with questions and stared at by his schoolmates just yet; this new turn in their relationship still felt fragile and secret to him, and Joey relished keeping Kaiba to himself for as long as possible. As they walked however, certain 'accidents' would cause one boy to stumble into the other, necessitating him grabbing the other's arm for balance; or one would see something interesting out to sea, meaning of course that he had to grab the other by the shoulder to draw his attention to it. Their eyes kept flicking to one another, resulting in secret smiles and faint blushes. It felt precious and slightly surreal.

Back in their brightly lit room, Joey was suddenly shy. Everything looked the same, yet felt so different! He wasn't sure how to react around Kaiba now- the mundane items in their room didn't seem to suit his newly heightened awareness and happiness.

"I'm gonna shower first, if you don't mind?" Joey asked quickly, making his way to the bathroom. Kaiba watched him move across the room, his eyes taking in the blonde from his position on the small lounge sofa, one ankle resting lightly on the opposite knee. He flicked a hand lazily to indicate he was fine with that, and favoured Joey with a tender and slightly shy smile. Joey realised that Kaiba was probably feeling just as awkward and unsure as he was!

Joey stood under the steaming water, watching the grit and paint flow down his body and into the drain. His thoughts wandered to the brunette in the room next to him, and he realised that he was on the verge of becoming aroused again, just _thinking_ about Kaiba. Particularly, Joey wondered idly whether Kaiba might come barging in on him, interrupting his shower- perhaps he'd even join him! As Joey mulled over these salacious thoughts, rinsing the shampoo from his hair, he began to hum, again without realising it. He had just closed his eyes to further develop his little daydream, when the water suddenly turned icy-cold. Shrieking, Joey clamoured backward, his arms clamped across his chest in a futile attempt to ward off the freezing jets of water. Unfortunately the shower wasn't really big enough for such activities, and Joey found himself flailing as his calves hit the edge of the tub rim during his backward step. As he fell, one thought entered Joey's mind: _Don't hit your head on the floor, don't hit your head on the floor!_ His arm shot out and desperately grasped for something to stop his descent; and luckily, it clasped a fistful of the shower curtain.

The curtain saved his head from almost certain damage; its hooks held his weight long enough to mostly halt his fall before snapping one by one. Joey still fell, but it was far slower and he was able to twist slightly so that he landed painfully on his side instead, tangled in the curtain. The water had returned to hot; Joey could see the steam rising from the cubicle as he lay in a growing puddle on the floor, stunned and a little bruised. He turned his head as he heard the bathroom door open, too dazed to object to the privacy invasion. Kaiba peered around the door with a wicked grin on his face, which immediately faded into a look of horror as he took in Joey sprawled on the floor, sopping wet and tangled in the shower curtain.

"Shit! What the fuck! Are you okay?" He cried, rushing to help Joey untangle himself from the curtain. "I just wanted to get you back for the shooting incident earlier; I turned the kitchen tap on. I didn't know you'd try to kill yourself!" He stared in dismay at Joey as the blonde rubbed his sore shoulder where it had struck the ground. As his comments permeated Joey's brain, he stared back at Kaiba incredulously.

" _That_ was your idea of a joke? Kaiba, I could have smashed my brains all over the bathroom floor! That was the _worst_ prank I think I've ever seen!" He put a hand out to the brunette, who took it and heaved the still soaked Joey to his feet. Kaiba at least had the decency to look embarrassed. Joey moved gingerly toward the shower to turn the tap off, as the bathroom was dense with fog now, beads of water gathering on the mirror and walls and running down in small rivulets. As he noticed Joey's intention, Kaiba quickly stepped around him and reached out to turn the tap off himself, his jacket sleeves getting soaked in the process. Then he turned to the still unimpressed Joey, his face woebegone.

"I'm sorry, Joey. I don't really get to joke around much. I guess my sense of humour sucks." He frowned a little, staring at the floor, clearly upset at how badly he'd misjudged his little prank. Joey immediately felt guilty for being so cross at the CEO; after all, he wasn't really hurt, and under normal circumstances he would have considered it to be a top-notch joke himself. Moving forward, he placed his arms tentatively over the brunette's shoulders, embracing him and comforting him at the same time. Looking up into Kaiba's sad face, Joey smiled sweetly at the teen.

"Well, I guess if your humour sucks, I'll just have to teach you the right way to do things." Kaiba's piercing blue eyes met Joey's, and the blonde could see the appreciation in his expression. Then Kaiba's eyes suddenly flickered and his gaze moved slowly and deliberately down and up Joey's still-naked body. He smiled as Joey squirmed, embarrassed under his gaze, and made to step back.

"I'd appreciate that, Joey. In fact, I'm sure there are many things we will be able to teach one another," Kaiba murmured, grasping Joey by the hips and pulling him closer. Their lips met, eagerly and hungrily, and Joey forgot his pains and irritation in a heartbeat.

This kiss was different again to the first they'd shared, and the many that had followed earlier that afternoon. Joey wasn't sure if it was relief on both their parts; Kaiba at having not maimed Joey, and Joey at simply being alive and not lying on the floor with scrambled eggs for brains. Perhaps it was the warm damp air that lingered in the bathroom, covering Joey's body in small beads of moisture and causing Kaiba's hair to begin to droop. Or, perhaps, it was the emergence of that delicious stage in a new relationship where bashfulness is finally conquered; bringing with it an eagerness and sweetness that cannot be matched. In any case, the kiss was deep, and both boys lost themselves to it, exploring each other's mouths with tongue and teeth and lips, fighting against each other only to give in seconds later. Joey's hands moved to Kaiba's shoulders and almost without thinking, he pushed the shoulders of Kaiba's jacket out and down, allowing the piece of clothing to slither down Kaiba's arms and back, until the brunette let go of his hips long enough to let the jacket complete its journey to the floor. Then the hands were back, firmly clasping Joey's bare hips, the fingertips digging into his flesh in a silent, wordless claim.

Joey startled briefly when he suddenly felt the coolness of the porcelain sink on his bare backside; he had not even realised that they had slowly moved backward during the kiss. He grunted slightly in surprise, causing Kaiba to chuckle into their still-joined mouths. Kaiba's hands began to slowly move up Joey's torso, skimming his ribs and pressing firmly enough so that the brunette could feel every inch of Joey's body as he went. His hands paused at Joey's chest, the long slender fingers splaying out over the blonde's skin as though hoping to feel the erratic heartbeat beneath. Kaiba ended the kiss so that he could pull back and look into Joey's face. The blonde was flushed, whether from the steam, longing, or embarrassment, the CEO could not tell. Joey could see the naked desire in Kaiba's eyes, the expression making his own arousal grow. Glancing down at himself, Joey could see that a similar reaction was happening to Kaiba as well.

Joey gulped slightly as the realisation of what they potentially were about to do hit him; was he ready for this?

Kaiba noticed Joey's expression change from heated to desire to uncertainty in an instant; he understood- it was happening so quickly. But it was so difficult to hold back; he ached so badly for Joey to touch him that it was almost physically painful. He pulled back a little to give the blonde teen space to breathe, his own heart beating a mad rhythm.

"K-Kaiba… I don't really know what to do. I've never done anything like this before. I… I'm not sure if I can, right now." Joey looked away with mingled shame and disappointment. Kaiba smiled faintly and lifted Joey's chin so that their eyes met.

"Whatever makes you think I've done this before? I'm as uncertain as you are. In fact, the only thing I _am_ certain of is how badly I want you- but we can take this slowly, if you'd like." Joey smiled back at Kaiba with sweet thankfulness, bringing his hands up to cup the brunette's face.

"Thank you, Kaiba." He brought his lips to the brunette's again, his hands falling to Kaiba's hips in an imitation of their earlier positions. Kaiba kept one hand clasped at Joey's collarbone, while the other traced a slow path back down to Joey's hip. However, it did not stop there, and continued, causing Joey to gasp into Kaiba's mouth as the brunette gently clasped his hardened member.

"Do you feel this, though, Wheeler?" Kaiba murmured into Joey's still open mouth; he gently bit Joey's lower lip to bring the blonde's attention back to his words. Joey made a weak 'hyneeugh' sound and Kaiba gently squeezed and moved his hand slowly up and down his shaft. "I said, _do you feel this, Wheeler?_ " Joey nodded faintly, his head falling back slightly as he absorbed the sensation. Kaiba gave a humourless smile and continued his relentlessly slow ministrations. "Soon, Wheeler, we're going to have to do something about this. I don't know how much longer I can wait. I'll do what I have to, until you are comfortable to try… I would never force you. But know this, pup; _I want you, and I want you real soon._ " With that, he released Joey, his other hand coming up behind the blonde's head to push it forward toward himself. Planting a chaste kiss on Joey's mouth, Kaiba turned toward the shower, taking in its dishevelled state.

"Now, you had better leave before I do something I'll regret. And I stink; I'm going to shower, and then we'll go meet the others for this movie, what do you say?" He glanced back at Joey and was satisfied to see the blonde teen looking utterly dazed; he looked magnificent in his bare arousal, and Kaiba felt a flash of smugness that it was he who had caused the physical reaction in his roommate.

Joey slowly slipped out of the bathroom, his heart thumping erratically. He was almost maddened with desire, and was beginning to understand why Kaiba was so eager to progress further. But he was also faintly glad that they had held off; a rushed encounter in the bathroom was not how he wanted to do it for the first time. Swallowing to remove the tenseness in his throat, Joey put on some comfortable sweat pants and a coat; it was cold up on deck at night. Then he waited with impatient greed for his brunette to finish showering and join him; thinking with pleasure of the many other things they could do in the meantime, until he was ready.

* * *

The open air movie area looked amazing. Large fabric deckchairs were strewn about in twos and threes, with thick woollen blankets available for people to wrap up in. The number of students in attendance was quite low; most people were probably exhausted from the long day of paintball. Many of those who were there had participated in the alternative activities and so were not as bruised and weary.

Joey and Kaiba made their way through the forming groups of students until they found most of the gang near the front; they had kindly reserved a chair each for Kaiba and Joey already. Duke was with the gang, to Joey's faint surprise; he had not seen much of the green-eyed teen. He was sitting beside Tea, recounting an elaborate and most likely false story of a three-on-one dice match he had managed to win. Tea was looking relaxed and happy, being the perfect audience for Duke's story; she did not glance at Yugi or Yami even once. Joey was glad that she was not devastated by the boys' apparent rejection of her affections. Joey noticed Ryou sitting quietly on a deckchair by himself, and made his way over to the white-haired teen.

"Heya Ryou, how's it going? I heard about Bakura's punishment; I'm sorry if he spoiled your day for you." Ryou looked up at Joey and smiled at the blonde. He looked tired, but not unhappy.

"Hello Joey. I am fine, thank you. Just a little weary. Yes, Bakura almost had us confined to our rooms for the rest of the trip, but I managed to smooth it over by apologising to poor Frank, who he bit. He is already on at me to find a paintball field back home when we return; he has quite a fondness for it." He gave a small smile, his eyes fond as he talked about his Hikari. Although Joey now understood the nature of their relationship more than he had previously, he still had to shake his head at Ryou's seemingly unending patience for his partner's antics. "And, while it was totally unacceptable behaviour, it _was_ kind of nice to have him defend me so aggressively today." With a smile, Ryou began to settle in to his deck chair, pulling up the blanket and blinking as the air about him began to shimmer. Joey hastily retreated before Ryou's Hikari made an appearance.

Heading back toward the seats the gang had reserved for him and Kaiba, Joey noticed Yami sitting on Yugi's chair; his counterpart had wandered off to get popcorn. Joey raised a hand in greeting and Yami rose smoothly and made his way over. "Hello, Joey. You look… happy. I trust you are feeling better." Yami raised an eyebrow in silent query and Joey had to marvel at the delicate way in which Yugi's partner was able to navigate difficult topics. Smiling, Joey reached out and clasped Yami's shoulder, jostling him slightly.

"Heya Yam'. Yeh, I'm doin' great. Better than great in fact- that… _thing_ we discussed? As it so happens, you were right. About all of it." Yami's face broke into a rare grin, making him look younger, much more like Yugi.

"I am glad to hear that, Joey, I truly am. I wish you both happiness. You will have to tell me about it some other time." As Joey opened his mouth to reply, Yami raised a finger, his face full of humour, and elaborated, "Within the bounds of civilised conversation, of course." Joey grinned in response and nodded, before asking a question that had been on his mind all day.

"Say, Yam', where have you been today? I didn't see you at all in the paintball field, and I had thought you were kinda keen to play! What gives?" Yami paused, tapping a long finger against his lip, looking at Joey seriously.

"I was in retreat for most of today- in the puzzle", he clarified, as Joey looked confused. "The idea of getting separated from Yugi was… unpleasant to me, and if anybody shot or hurt him I feared I might react badly, the way I would have in the past, before Yugi taught me more compassion. But don't worry- I was there, every minute, ready to assist if he needed me. Today took a lot out of me, actually." Yami heaved a tired sigh and shook his head. "I am just glad that Yugi is safe and enjoyed himself; and I am proud that I was able to let him put himself at risk, no matter how low, without smothering him. But I am glad it's over. I will sleep well tonight, I think- as will you, I'm sure." Then, with a very un-Yami like wink, the Pharaoh turned and walked back to his chair, where Yugi was now waiting for him with his sweet, eager smile.

Joey shook his head, flushing slightly at Yami's obvious innuendo, then made his way to the two chairs reserved for himself and Kaiba. The CEO was already in his chair, watching Joey approach, a black woollen blanket draped over his long frame. He smiled faintly at the blonde, who returned the look; then, before Joey could flop down onto his own chair, Kaiba's long hand reached out and flipped back the blanket he had spread over himself, in invitation.

"Sit with me". The request was quietly said, but Joey nevertheless looked about quickly to make sure nobody was eavesdropping. Then, with a pounding heart, he clamoured in beside Kaiba on the same chair. The deck chairs were not quite large enough to accommodate two people side by side, so some shuffling of limbs was required, but finally the two teens were comfortably positioned under the thick blanket. Joey looked about nervously to see if anybody was reacting to the rather obvious pairing that he and Kaiba were making, but everybody was concerned with either their own partner, or getting comfortable in their chairs whilst trying not to spill their popcorn and drinks. Joey noticed that Yugi was snuggled against Yami's side, happily munching popcorn and chattering away happily to his Hikari. Yami had one arm around Yugi's shoulder, and when his Aibou paused for breath, Yami leaned forward and gently kissed his partner on the forehead. Yugi beamed up at Yami, his face a little pink, before settling in to watch the advertisements. Further over, Bakura had emerged, and forcibly pulled Ryou onto his lap unashamedly. Ryou met Joey's eyes bashfully, before giving quite a cheeky grin and pulling the blanket up to cover himself and his partner. Bakura flashed Joey his middle finger before pulling Ryou's face to his own in a violently intense kiss. Joey rolled his eyes, amused.

Suddenly the lights dimmed, and the movie began as the last of the advertisements faded from the screen. It was an old black and white film, and although quite a few students groaned in comical disappointment at the choice of film, the crowd soon settled down to watch in a comfortable silence.

The movie was still in its early scenes when Kaiba shifted slightly under the blanket, dragging Joey's attention away from the screen. Kaiba looked at Joey, his eyes glittering in the darkness. Joey smiled at the brunette, leaning in to kiss him gently on the mouth. The movie, the cool night, the thick blanket; they all felt incredibly sensual, and Joey was so glad to be there with Kaiba. Under the blanket, he felt Kaiba's long hand shift to his leg, moving steadily upward until his fingers were playing around the waistband of Joey's slacks. Joey's breath hitched a bit and he anxiously glanced about, but the movement was not obvious in the darkness, particularly under the dense material of the blanket. Joey allowed his own hand to wander then, pausing slightly at the edge of Kaiba's pants, before making the bold plunge inside them. Kaiba gave a small gasp, the sound an instant turn-on for Joey, who began to feel around with greater purpose. Kaiba's own hand slipped further into Joey's slacks, his hand causing Joey's already hardening appendage to stiffen further.

It was very warm beneath the blanket; both boys had long since stopped paying attention to the film, absorbed as they were in the undercover explorations taking place. Their breaths were coming shallower, but as silently as possible; they were only metres from the other students in all directions. Joey was stroking Kaiba gently, teasingly. He was not sure if he was doing it right but the other teen wasn't objecting; he was gently pushing his hips into Joey's hand with each stroke, as his own fingers rubbed and teased relentlessly. Finally, with a gasp, Kaiba ripped his hand from Joey's slacks, to grip Joey's hand to cease its progress. Shifting slightly so that his mouth was close to Joey's ear, Kaiba whispered harshly, "I'm leaving. Wait a moment and then follow me." Joey nodded to show he understood, and suddenly cold air assailed him as Kaiba whipped the blanket off and strode away. Joey was impressed; Kaiba looked utterly unruffled and unaffected by their amorous encounter- only Joey knew better.

Taking a few deep breaths of the cool air, Joey stretched, adjusted himself, and then stood up and turned to leave. As he blocked their view momentarily, students scowled or shifted, but mostly everybody was absorbed in the film. From over at Bakura's chair, Joey could hear Ryou's gentle snores; he hadn't lasted long.

As he wove his way through the dark shapes spread out across the deck, Joey sought out Yugi's chair to tell him that he was leaving; however as he approached the right deckchair, he decided to continue on- Yugi and Yami were laying on their sides, gazing silently into each other's eyes, the movie going unwatched. As Joey passed by, he saw Yami raise a hand to his Aibou's face, cupping Yugi's cheek in one long palm, making his small partner smile gently. Yami lowered his face to Yugi's and the two teens' foreheads met; they both closed their eyes, lost in the moment.

Joey swallowed past a sudden lump in his throat; he hoped to one day experience that level of love and devotion for another, he thought. The two boys lay peacefully together, unaware of everything in the world but each other, for that beautiful shining moment under the stars.

* * *

Joey pushed his cabin door open, his stomach a jangling pile of nerves. It was dim inside; only one bedside lamp turned on to illuminate the room. Kaiba was standing by the sliding balcony doors, facing out to see, his hands clasped behind his back. As Joey closed the door behind him with a _click_ , Kaiba turned to face him, eyes unreadable. Then, with a few large strides, the brunette covered the length of the room to enfold Joey in an embrace. Covering the blonde's face and neck in a series of quick kisses, Kaiba murmured, "I know I said we'd wait, but there's no harm in… working up to it, right?" Joey stepped back, grasping Kaiba's shirt, and drawing it in one fluid movement over his head. Then, stepping forward to wrap his arms around the taller teen's waist, he replied, grinning into Kaiba's eyes.

"My thoughts exactly, Moneybags."


	15. Chapter 15

**Ugh- sorry guys, this chapter got away from me a bit and became a slight filler chapter... I can't help it, I'm too damned descriptive!**

 **Oh well, onto the next bit.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

The next few days passed in a blur; Joey could hardly remember what he did in for all those hours. There were no more class activities now that the ship was on its home stretch, so the gang spent hours lazing by the pool and challenging each other to Duels. After a brief surprised reaction, the rest of the gang seemed to accept the Joey/Kaiba partnership completely, although Tristan was still quite formal with the CEO and Joey suspected that they would never be deep friends. It was, Kaiba explained one night as they lay together under the sheets, because Joey and Tristan were such close friends. Kaiba's own irrational jealousy did not seem to expand to include Yami or Yugi for some reason; when Joey pressed the brunette on the matter, he simply shrugged, commenting that those two were 'different'.

In public, the two were constrained, showing little physical affection. Joey was glad that the rest of the gang had accepted them so readily, and felt guilty anew at his previous fear of their rejection. What little faith he had showed in his friends, he realised.

Privately, they allowed themselves to relax, and had quickly fallen into a comfortable pattern with one another. They now shared the larger Queen bed, much to Joey's amusement when he recalled how strongly Kaiba had fought to have it to himself on day one. Compared to Yami and Yugi's partnership, Joey and Kaiba were less intense, and talked far more. Without the tangible link that the other two boys shared, allowing them to almost read each other's thoughts, Joey and Kaiba had to discover one another the typical way. Joey had never been as happy as he was when he lay alongside the brunette, laughing uproariously at some joke or talking about the small things; their childhoods, school, their favourite ice-cream flavour. Joey was prepared to forgive Kaiba for saying he wasn't actually an ice-cream fan- that just left more for him, he decided.

The two were also discovering each other physically; neither had any experience and so there was much to learn; but it was most enjoyable discovering each other's quirks and needs. They had not yet taken it all the way, at Joey's insistence, but Kaiba was being patient, allowing Joey to take things at his own pace- and for that he was immensely grateful.

Finally the morning loomed of the last full day at sea; tomorrow afternoon they would dock back at Domino and disembark the ship. The upcoming end of the cruise had a bittersweet feeling to it; students were excited to go home and see their friends and family, but also disappointed that the cruise was coming to an end.

Joey and Kaiba were reclining comfortably on beach towels by the pool; nearby, Tristan, Ryou and Tea were playing Marco Polo- Bakura was currently 'It', moving about the pool with his eyes blindfolded, trying to catch the others. It seemed to be a bit unfair however, as he unerringly kept turning to wherever Ryou was hiding and scooting toward him through the water. The group's squeals and cries echoed across the deck and Joey closed his eyes blissfully. It was a beautiful day.

Joey was just beginning to doze a little as he leaned back against his elbows, face turned upwards into the sun, when he heard Kaiba clear his throat beside him. "Joey… Can I ask you something?" Joey cracked an eye open and looked across at the brunette beside him.

"'Course you can Kaibs- what's eatin' you?"

"Well," Kaiba started, looking hesitant. "Tomorrow, when we get in, we'll all be going home, right?"

"Eurgh, don't remind me!" Joey muttered. Once they arrived home the students would have one more week of holidays before school started up again; an entire week stuck with his father. Joey shuddered at the thought.

"Sorry. But, well, I was wondering, would you like to maybe visit me sometime next week? We have a lot of space; you could sleep over if you wanted." Joey turned to stare at Kaiba, who was looking shy and uncertain. _He's worried I'll say no!_ Joey marvelled. Before he could answer, Kaiba continued on in a rush. "I mean, it's just that I don't even know if Mokuba will want to see me. He tried calling me at the start of the cruise, but I ignored him, and he hasn't rung again since. I'm worried he'll still hate me. It… it'd be nice to have someone around who doesn't loathe me, for once." He glanced up at Joey, his expression hopeful yet defeated, as though he already expected the answer to be no.

Joey shook his head and chuckled. "Kaibs, even if I didn't want to be around you, any excuse to not be at home is A-OK with me! Plus, I get to spend another week with you; I can't think of anything I'd rather do!" He grinned at Kaiba, who was looking relieved. "I'm just gonna go back to the room real quick and drop my deck off; looks like things may get a bit damper around here." He nodded at the sight of Bakura holding Tristan above his shoulders like a log, about to throw him into the pool. Nodding at Kaiba's small pile of belongings lying next to him, Joey asked, "would you like me to take your stuff back as well?" Kaiba nodded distractedly, watching Bakura closely as he tossed the struggling Tristan in as though he weighed nothing, before laughing hysterically.

Joey scooped up Kaiba's things, smiling to himself. He had been sad about the cruise ending tomorrow, but the prospect of being able to see Kaiba when they got home cheered him up immensely. The self-doubt that made Joey worry that the relationship would end when the cruise did was alleviated a bit by Kaiba's offer. Thinking about Kaiba, Joey's eyes softened. The brunette hadn't said anything, but Joey knew he was worried about going home and facing Mokuba. Joey doubted if Kaiba would ever feel completely happy if he were not on good terms with his brother. Entering the cabin, Joey decided to do something for Kaiba to take his mind off his family woes, at least for one more night. Dumping all their belongings on the now unused single bed, Joey scooped up a mobile phone and scrolled through until he found the number he wanted. Gulping slightly, hoping he was doing the right thing, Joey pressed 'Dial' and listened as the tone sounded endlessly in his ear. He was just about to give up and end the call, when the familiar _click_ of the line being answered stopped him.

"Hey. It's Joey. I need to talk to you." He smiled.

* * *

That night, the dining hall was converted into a dance floor in celebration of the final night on board. The students massed into the room, gathering in groups and giggling as they watched everybody else dance and socialise. Joey was not very keen to participate, but he had a surprise for Kaiba and wanted to keep him from the cabin for as long as possible. As a result, he found himself standing on the sidelines of the dance, feeling rather bored, but also amused as he watched everybody try to keep up with the rhythm of the music. Nearby, Bakura had Ryou in a tight grip and was swinging him randomly all about the place, heedless of the tune playing. Ryou laughed breathlessly and did his best to avoid being flung through a wall by Bakura's overenthusiasm.

Joey laughed aloud as he watched the two convulse on the dance floor; _Bakura really isn't all that bad I suppose, when he's not attacking people like a madman_ , Joey mused. _And he makes Ryou happy, which is the important thing, I guess._ Joey turned then to see Kaiba weaving his way through the throngs of people toward him, holding two small plastic cups of Coke. Joey noticed several girls batting their eyes at Kaiba and frowned slightly in response, although he didn't really blame them. Kaiba looked particularly impressive that night, in a high collared deep blue jacket and expensive cream slacks. _Too bad he ain't interested, sweetheart,_ Joey thought in his head at one particularly persistent girl, who was trying to convince Kaiba to stop a moment to chat. Kaiba leaned down toward her as she spoke into his ear, smiling faintly, before shaking his head soberly and replying, gesturing toward Joey with a hand holding a full cup. Joey waggled his fingers at her as she glanced at him, disgruntled. Kaiba shook her off and made his way over to Joey, smiling wryly.

"Apparently she feels I should place myself in more interesting company," Kaiba said cheerfully as he handed Joey one of the dangerously flimsy cups. "I told her it wasn't your company I enjoyed so much as your bedroom antics." Joey choked a little on his Coke, staring at Kaiba with wide eyes.

"You didn't!" He cried, mortified.

"No, I didn't, of course," Kaiba replied with a laugh. "I actually told her she couldn't afford my company, the meaning of which will confuse her long enough for her to leave me alone tonight." He winked at the blonde before turning to watch the students move about the dance floor. "You don't want me to ask you to dance, do you?" He called out over the booming music, turning to Joey with a raised eyebrow.

"God, no", Joey replied, shuddering at the thought. "I can't dance for crap. Nah, I'm good here." He gave Kaiba a little nudge and the taller teen took his hand with a smile. The two stood side by side, watching the mingling students, and simply enjoying each other's closeness. Further into the crowd, Joey could make out the figures of Tea and Duke dancing together, and he wondered idly if maybe they were growing closer. The thought made him smile.

It was some time later that Kaiba leaned down to talk in Joey's ear, where he could hear him over the loud music. "I don't suppose you want to leave soon?" Joey's stomach flipped a little in excitement, but he was pretty sure Kaiba's surprise would be ready by now. Nodding, he put his empty plastic cup on a nearby table and followed the tall brunette out of the hall, waving at various friends on the way out. Once out on the cool deck, the two interlaced their fingers and strolled slowly along, in no true hurry to be anywhere. They were about to enter the elevator to their level when the doors opened, and Yami stepped out. Pulling up at the sight of Kaiba and Joey, Yami smiled. Joey grinned back, relieved to see the other teen. It meant his surprise was ready!

"Good evening Joey, Kaiba." His large purple eyes met Joey's in a knowing glance.

"Evening Yami," Joey replied calmly. "Where is Yug'? I noticed you two weren't at the dance." Of course, he'd known that they were not there, and why, but had to keep up the charade.

"Yugi is in our room; he is not one for dancing, and nor am I, really. He is currently looking over a new card we obtained for his Deck; when I return we will watch a movie, if you guys would like to join us?"

"Thanks Yam', maybe next time. I think we're just gonna turn in for the night," Joey replied with a wink. Yami smiled with humour and nodded. "Next time, then. Goodnight." Joey and Kaiba murmured replies, stepping into the elevator together.

"His link with Yugi seems to be getting stronger," Kaiba muttered, taking Joey by surprise. Kaiba rarely spoke of the unusual bond the two teens shared. "I wonder what is causing that to occur. He was talking just now as though he could see through Yugi's eyes." Joey shook his head to indicate he did not have any answers, his stomach too fluttery with nerves to speak clearly. He was scared about his surprise for Kaiba and hoped that the other boy would like it. He was fairly certain that he would, but one never did know; Seto Kaiba wasn't known for being predictable.

The boys walked together along their corridor, and Joey could see their door up ahead. Taking a deep breath, he tugged on Kaiba's hand to stop his momentum. It was now or never: step one of the surprise.

"Kaiba, I have something to tell you." The brunette stopped and looked down at Joey with interest. The blonde was squirming with nerves.

"What is it, Joey? Is something wrong?" Joey shook his head, but still looked anxious.

"Kaiba- don't me mad, 'kay? I… I called Mokuba."

Kaiba was silent for a second before responding. "And…?" He asked. He did not sound impressed.

"Well… we talked, and I told him about us-" Joey's sentence was interrupted as Kaiba let out a hiss. "-and he was happy for us! He was OK with it, promise! And… and I also told him how cut up you'd been about your fight. He felt like shit too, Kaibs, he was so upset when you wouldn't take his calls. He misses you. He can't wait til you get home." Joey said all this in a rush, watching as Kaiba's expression shifted from angry, to relieved, to studiously deadpan. His heart leapt a bit; perhaps Kaiba wasn't going to be furious at him!

Kaiba stared at the floor for several long moments, before sighing and looking up at Joey. "I'm not sure how I feel about you calling my brother behind my back and sharing this information with him; but I can't make myself be angry at you. I'm so relieved that he doesn't hate me, I can't think of much else." He took a deep breath. "Thank you, Joey." He smiled faintly at the blonde.

Joey was thrilled. The first part of the surprise was a success! Taking Kaiba's hand again, he pulled the brunette forward to the cabin, where his second surprise was waiting.

Pushing open the cabin door, Joey was impressed. Yami had done an excellent job; the room was clean and tidy, with a plate of fruit and cheese sitting on the counter and some candles burning dimly at various places around the room. Joey had worried that candles would be too cutesy, but Yami had gotten the amounts just right; it was romantic and cozy, and not at all tacky.

Kaiba stopped dead in his tracks, taking in the room. "What-?" he began, turning to look at Joey, who was staring at him anxiously, his heart stuttering with nerves and excitement.

"Kaiba, I just wanted to let you know- and just in case my ringing Mokuba had made you angry… I wanted to tell you I did that for you. Because, I reckon… I think I love you, Ok? And that's scary as hell but all I know is that I want to be with you. Would… you like to be my… boyfriend?" Kaiba's face remained impassive throughout Joey's little speech, but when the blonde finally stuttered to silence, his face flaming brightly, the brunette reached out to take hold gently of his chin, looking into Joey's eyes with a genuine and loving smile.

"I had rather already considered you my boyfriend, Wheeler. But, yes. Completely. All I want is you." He kissed Joey lightly on the lips, pulling the blonde further into the room so that he could close the door.

"Good," Joey replied, taking a deep breath to steady himself. It was time for the final part of the surprise. "Because… I also wanted to let you know… I'm ready."

Kaiba stopped midway through taking off his jacket, turning slowly to survey Joey. His eyes sparkled with excitement. "You're ready?"

"Yes," Joey replied softly, reaching up to stroke Kaiba's face. "I think I've been ready for you for a long time."


	16. Chapter 16

****A polite warning that this chapter launches straight into and contains sexual acts.****

 **Finally! I hope you all like this chapter- I worked on it far longer than many of my other chapters, hoping to get it right- so I really hope it is everything you horndogs out there wanted! Unfortunately I live in a household full of men who aren't keen on reading it for me to tell me if sounds alright! (^.^)**

 **I would appreciate any suggestions or requests to take into account for next time, and as always thanks to those of you who send me reviews and private messages- you brighten up my day, in every way! \\./**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Kaiba took a step closer to Joey. "You're sure you're ready for this?" He raised a hand and rested it on Joey's shoulder, sending tingles coursing through the blonde's body. His deep blue eyes were intense; hungry. His hand shook slightly.

Joey nodded, staring at Kaiba solemnly. "Yeh, I'm ready. I'm nervous, but I trust you. And I _want_ to!"

Kaiba's breath came in a great rush as he yanked Joey toward him, crushing him into an embrace. Joey could feel the brunette's heart beating rapidly against his chest. Harshly in Joey's ear, Kaiba whispered, "Just- tell me, if you want to stop, okay? If you don't like anything?" Joey nodded against his shoulder, his own voice sticking in his throat. Then, pulling away from the embrace, Joey grabbed him by the front of his shirt and pulled Kaiba in to him, pressing his mouth against the other teen's with a ferocious intensity.

Kaiba rose to the task, matching Joey's fervour with a groan of desire. The sound shot straight to Joey's groin; it was so satisfying to hear brunette being affected by him this way. Without breaking contact, the two began to shuffle backward toward the bed, their steps uneven as they felt their way with their feet, until they were standing by the edge of the Queen mattress. Feeling braver than ever in the face of Kaiba's desire, Joey reached down and began to rub the front of the CEO's slacks with an open palm; he was satisfied to feel the distinctive swelling already. Kaiba drew back from their kiss with a gasp as Joey rubbed him, his pupils dilated with his arousal.

" _Fuck._ You're so hot," Kaiba rasped, placing his hand over Joey's where it touched his crotch. Joey hissed, pleased, and crushed his mouth against Kaiba's again, both his hands moving to fumble with the button of the taller boy's slacks. Kaiba was breathing shallowly, his own hands moving to work at the waistband of Joey's jeans. Finally Kaiba's slacks were unbuttoned, and Joey eagerly pushed down the pants and briefs together, letting them slither to pool at his feet. Kaiba stepped neatly forward out of his clothing, scooping Joey up with arm as he did so, and dumping the blonde unceremoniously on the bed in front of him. His erection was full and impressive, making Joey's stomach twist with excitement and apprehension as he stared at it.

Kaiba moved forward, crawling over the bed until he drew even with Joey. "I believe I am at a disadvantage," he smirked, gesturing toward Joey's jean-clad legs. In one smooth movement, Kaiba hooked his thumbs into the waistband of Joey's now unbuttoned jeans, dragging them down over his buttocks and legs until they were free and discarded at the end of the bed. Sitting up, Kaiba dragged his jacket off, almost snarling at Joey at the same time, " _Take off your shirt._ " Joey quickly complied, getting slightly tangled in the material in his haste to remove it. When Joey's head finally emerged from his shirt, Kaiba was watching him, completely devoid of clothing. The deep blue eyes were staring with a heated intensity, waiting for Joey to finish. As soon as Joey dumped his shirt over the side of the bed, Kaiba moved forward until he was lying along Joey's body, their flat stomachs touching, bare skin on bare skin.

"Lie back. Let me," Kaiba ground out, leaning down to kiss Joey deeply. Joey nodded against Kaiba's mouth before pulling away to flop his head back onto the bed. Kaiba nipped along Joey's jawline, planting small kisses on his neck and cheeks, his hands moving all about to touch Joey gently; his hair, his face, his arms. Joey closed his eyes, absorbing the sensations, his own hands digging into Kaiba's shoulders and poor scarred back as if he held on for dear life. Kaiba moved lower, and Joey jumped as the brunette took one of his nipples into his mouth; it was soft and warm and he felt Kaiba's teeth brush the sensitive hardening end, sending fizzling rays of electricity though his entire body. "Arhhhh" Joey garbled, utterly lost for words. Kaiba hummed in response and move across to attend to Joey's other nipple; the one he left immediately felt cold after the warmth of his mouth.

Joey suddenly became aware of Kaiba's hand; it had drifted down until it was brushing Joey's eager cock; he twitched a little as Kaiba wrapped his long fingers around his shaft, but as the brunette once again moved up to claim Joey's mouth, his attention was drawn between the two sensations. It was maddening; he squirmed underneath Kaiba, who chuckled deep in this throat, but did not relent. Slowly, achingly, he began to pump Joey's erection, making the shorter teen quiver and mewl slightly in response. Without stopping his incessant assault, Kaiba began to again move down Joey's body, licking and nipping as he went. Joey's breath was coming in great gasps, his fingers knotted in Kaiba's thick brown hair. His knees had drawn up, and the brunette was laying between them, one elbow supporting his weight while his free hand firmly moved up and down Joey's straining cock. Joey arched his back at the contact, gasping at each new sensation Kaiba delivered to him. He felt Kaiba's tongue dip into his belly button and gave a slightly hysterical giggle; he felt the brunette's mouth stretch into a smile against his stomach briefly before continuing his slow offensive down Joey's body.

Joey could feel Kaiba moving closer to his groin, and the anticipation rose to almost unbearable levels. Without realising it, he was pushing his hips upward against Kaiba, matching the teen's slow pumping strokes thrust for thrust. He felt an almost painful need rising within him, and he lightly pushed at Kaiba's head to move him faster toward the area he so desperately wanted the brunette to touch. Kaiba grunted with faint amusement, reaching a hand out to push one of Joey's legs further apart. He kept his long hand resting against Joeys' inner thigh, this thumb tracing intricate patterns along the sensitive skin, not quite tickling, occasionally digging the nail into his flesh in gentle punishment. Finally, Kaiba's other hand released Joey's erection, leaving it feeling cold and extremely sensitive. Moving his head further down, Joey's fingers still embedded in his hair, Kaiba brushed his nose along the length of Joey's rigid shaft, exhaling as he did so. Joey groaned as the warm air rushed over his sensitive area; it both tickled and felt amazing.

Gasping, Joey looked down to see Kaiba staring up at him with glittering eyes, his mouth mere millimetres from his erection. It was the hottest thing he'd ever seen. Panting, Joey groaned and threw his head back against the bed. "Kaib… Kaiba… _please!_ " With his eyes closed, Joey could not see what Kaiba was doing, but he felt the brunette shift his position slightly. Every part of Joey was straining with need; he felt as though his head was about to explode at any moment if he didn't get some sort of release.

Suddenly, his shaft was engulfed by the hot wetness of Kaiba's mouth. Joey's fingers tightened in the brunette hair and he swore in an agonised groan at the sensation. He had never felt anything so good; not at least, until Kaiba began to move his mouth up and down Joey's length, a hum of pleasure sounding in the back of his throat. Panting, Joey threw an arm over his eyes, a helpless gesture as the sensations overwhelmed him. He could hear the sound of Kaiba's mouth on his erection, sucking greedily, making his arousal even greater. One of Kaiba's hands was still holding Joey's leg apart; the other moved to grasp the base of his shaft, moving against the rhythm of his mouth in a maddening counterpart.

Joey did not know how long the assault continued for; time faded and all that mattered was sensation. He felt the need building within him, the faint tingling promise of upcoming ecstasy, as Kaiba continued the relentless torture below. Joey was all nerves and feeling and aching desire; his breath came in straining gasps and small whimpers as he tipped closer and closer to the edge. Straining against the tight wetness that was Kaiba's mouth, Joey groaned loudly, then garbled urgently, "K…Kaiba… I'm gonna…" The brunette understood and suddenly the pace he had been setting ceased to almost nothing as he withdrew his mouth; he simply held the twitching, throbbing cock in his hand, waiting; he could feel how close the blonde was to tipping over the edge. Joey groaned almost comically as Kaiba's movements stopped; his shaft felt cold and vulnerable now that Kaiba's lips were not wrapped around it.

Slowly, Joey's urgent need began to wane as Kaiba offered no further stimulation. It took some time, as just the sight of the brunette lying between his legs, mouth open and gasping with desire, his glittering blue eyes meeting Joey's, was almost enough to finish unravel him on its own. Eventually however the urgency faded and Joey was able to breathe more steadily than before. Only then did Kaiba's hand slowly begin to move again, his eyes locked on Joey's with a savage intensity. Then, ensuring that the other teen was watching him, Kaiba slowly removed his other palm from Joey's thigh, bringing his hand to his mouth, where he slowly and deliberately began to suck one of his own fingers. Joey's eyes widened at the unexpected sight; but _damn_ , it was hot, and he watched, mesmerized, as Kaiba added a second finger; he now had his pointer and middle fingers in his mouth, and he slipped them in and out past his lips, his burning eyes never leaving Joey's as he sucked on the digits with apparent relish. Then, withdrawing his fingers, Kaiba's hand slowly moved, down past his other which was still steadily moving up and down Joey's shaft; his moistened fingers leaving a cool trail as they skimmed Joey's sensitive skin.

Joey's breath was ragged with anticipation, his eyes large as he watched Kaiba's slow, careful movements. The brunette raised an eyebrow slightly at Joey, a silent question; the blonde nodded. Kaiba released his cock as he reached up and took one of Joey's own hands in his own; his palm was warm from the radiant heat of Joey's arousal. Guiding Joey, Kaiba placed both their hands back over his erection and they began to move steadily up and down it together. Joey flung his head back, his eyes closed with renewed desire, his attention focused on the rhythm they were setting together.

Suddenly Joey felt a faint intrusive pressure on his opening, and his head snapped up to look at Kaiba. The brunette's own eyes were almost closed with concentration and desire, his mouth open slightly as his breath also came in rapid gasps. Kaiba slowly inserted his first finger a little further into Joey; immediately the blonde could feel the pressure, and his body automatically wanted to push against it, to expel it, but he refrained. As Kaiba moved his long digit in and out, the initial feeling of slight discomfort faded and Joey began moan with pleasure. The brunette's pace increased, both on Joey's shaft and at his opening.

Joey wasn't sure if he could take any more sensation; he was stretched as taught as a wire, his entire body humming with responsive energy. Kaiba's rapid pace slowed briefly and Joey gasped as he added his second finger; it felt so full with both digits, but delightfully so; again the momentary feeling of pressure and discomfort faded as Joey's body adjusted to the intrusion, moaning and whimpering in response to the invasion. Kaiba released Joey's hand and cock, using his freed hand to prop himself up on the bed and shift back up Joey's body so that they were face to face. The steady pace of Kaiba's fingering did not falter, and once he was lying even with Joey again, Kaiba leaned forward and deeply kissed Joey's slack mouth. Joey was grunting quietly with every plunging thrust, his hands now gripping Kaiba's upper arms as the boys kissed furiously, their tongues lashing and jaws working in time. All the while, Kaiba's long fingers moved steadily, in and out, stretching and pleasuring Joey's entrance.

Finally, Kaiba pulled back from the kiss, his nose almost touching Joey's as he looked into the amber eyes of the blonde. Through his teeth, Kaiba grit out in a ragged voice, "Joey- I can't hold out any longer. Are you- are you ready?" Joey nodded, humming with need, then grunting as Kaiba withdrew his fingers and shifted so that he was back between Joey's raised knees, his palms holding him propped above the squirming blonde on the bed below him. Even now though, Kaiba hesitated. "Tell me, Joey. You- you'll tell me, right? If you want me to… stop?" Joey opened his eyes and glared with heated humour at the brunette above him.

"Just fuck me already, Kaiba."

His words made the taller teen groan loudly, and again their mouths met firmly as Kaiba adjusted his position some more. Joey could feel Kaiba's heavy rigid erection dragging across his own; it was so arousing. Wiggling his body up a little, Joey helped the brunette to align his straining cock at his ready entrance; he felt a faint flutter of apprehension in his stomach, but fought it down. He trusted Kaiba, and he was ready. "Do it," he grit out, locking eyes with the boy he loved, who gasped in response and pushed into Joey with excruciating slowness.

It hurt. Joey screwed his eyes shut at the sensation; he again felt the reflex to push back against the intrusion, but he ignored it, tilting his hips instead to allow Kaiba greater access. He felt Kaiba sink into him, up to his full length; the brunette was breathing raggedly, his own eyes closed as the absorbed the sensation. " _Fuck._ This is so tight," he rasped, holding himself still as Joey adjusted to his length inside him. Finally, the blonde shifted beneath him, and the brunette began to move. He slid almost entirely out of Joey's entrance before pushing back in; his pace was slow, controlled; he allowed Joey time to get used to the rhythm, or to object if it was too painful. Both boys rocked together, eyes closed and mouths open as they each felt their own pleasure building.

Suddenly, Kaiba's pace increased, his breath wheezing and gasping. Joey rose to meet him thrust for thrust, his hands digging into the brunette's shoulders and raking down his lean arms as they moved. Kaiba's eyes were squeezed shut, his teeth bared in a grimace of concentration; his hair was slick with sweat, flicking moisture in all directions as he moved. He slammed into Joey, each thrust urgent, plunging deep inside and hitting the sweet centre of pleasure, bringing Joey closer to ecstasy with every move. Joey began to whimper with anticipation, digging his nails into Kaiba's arms. Kaiba opened his eyes, blue meeting amber, and he gasped, " _Touch yourself ._ " Obediently, Joey reached down to grasp his own straining member, moving in a rapid pace to match the brunette's spearing thrusts. Kaiba lowered his head and watched with a heated, distracted gaze as Joey pleasured himself. Joey knew he was close now; he could feel a welling of pressure from deep within, and with it an animalistic need to release the pressure; it continued to build until it was almost unbearable.

Kaiba began to shudder, his movements becoming less rhythmic and more erratic; his breath rasped in and out next to Joey's ear as he lowered his head, and his thrusts became if possible even deeper. In the blonde's ear, he groaned, "Oh God… _Joey!_ " As if Kaiba's words were a siren call, Joey finally felt his climax take him; electricity shot through his body, radiating out from his groin; his feet tingled and felt numb, as did his hand as it caught the spasms of hot semen being released from the tip of his aching penis. For one, two, maybe a million seconds, Joey was nothing but wave upon wave of overwhelming sensation; his back arched and convulsively he cried out, "Arhh-ah… Seto!" Kaiba gasped in response and stilled, shuddering, as he finally released his seed deep inside of Joey in wave after contracting wave, before collapsing on the blonde boy's chest, heaving deep quivering breaths.

* * *

Finally, Joey came back to the present, as the final waves of pleasure faded. His heart was beating in his ears, blocking out all other sound; he lay, looking up at the ceiling, chest heaving deeply, trying to catch his breath. His hand lifted up to idly push Kaiba's sweaty hair off his forehead, running his fingers through the long locks. He could feel Kaiba's rapid heartbeat through their chests, sweat mingling where the skin met. An immense feeling of languid contentment began to creep over Joey; he felt as though some jigsaw pieces had fallen into place, leaving him perfectly complete and feeling almost Godlike with his heightened senses.

Kaiba's head shifted off Joey's chest, rising to look the blonde in the eyes. His face was flushed with exertion, eyes glittering with triumph and joy. Raising a hand, he ran two long fingers down Joey's cheek. He smiled at Joey shyly, murmuring, "That was the first time you've ever called me Seto." Joey blinked, trying to recall when he'd said that.

"Er… I actually didn't realise I did call you that. Weird!" He grinned a little ruefully at the other teen, tousling the damp brown hair slightly as he played with it.

"I liked it." Kaiba gave Joey a bashful smile, making him look sweeter and more vulnerable than Joey had ever seen him.

"And I like you." Joey grinned, leaning forward slightly to kiss Seto on the lips. "That was pretty damned good, by the way."

"I didn't hurt you?" Kaiba asked softly, his eyebrows furrowing in mild concern.

"Naw. It was a bit weird at first, but then it was good." He flushed at the memory. "Real good, in fact." Kaiba broke into an almost childlike grin of pride, tapping Joey on the chest with one finger as he did so. "You weren't so bad yourself, Wheeler." Joey felt a wave of pleasure wash over him at the compliment.

The two lay in a companionable silence for some time, their heart beats slowly returning to normal, mingled sweat drying off as their bodies cooled down. Joey was beginning to feel incredibly relaxed; in fact, the idea of sleeping was suddenly very enticing. Stretching lightly, he felt the sticky mess of his climax on his hand and stomach, and grimaced slightly at the texture of the almost-dry semen, pulling on his skin when he moved. Kaiba shifted off Joey's chest, allowing the blonde to sit up; as much as he wanted to remain lying there, forever if possible, Joey was feeling an increasing desire to bathe, and he decided to do so before he fell asleep on the spot. Giving Kaiba a swift kiss, Joey clamoured out of bed and made his way to the bathroom. As he rinsed himself under the warm water, Joey noticed a lingering, not unpleasant throbbing in his groin, and tenderness where Kaiba had entered him; but his overwhelming sensation was that of immense satisfaction. He and Kaiba were good together. _Really_ good.

When he emerged from the bathroom, Seto was still laying in the bed, although the discarded clothes had been collected and placed neatly on the spare bed, in typical Kaiba neat-freak style. Joey smiled to himself. Kaiba squinted at him sleepily as Joey slipped into bed in next to him. Rolling on his side to face the blonde, Kaiba murmured, "You're incredible. I'm so lucky to have you." Joey realised that the brunette was swiftly succumbing to sleep; he felt a flash of smugness at having been the cause of Kaiba's fatigue.

Leaning forward, Joey placed his lips against Kaiba's forehead, before replying softly; "There is just one major problem that I see now though, Kaibs." The brunette looked up at him, confusion marring his otherwise peaceful features.

"-After this, you're never gonna get rid of me now."

Seto's face split into a sleepy grin, and he pulled Joey closer into an embrace.

"That was always my plan, Wheeler."


	17. Chapter 17

Two boys stood on the prow of a great ship, watching as it carved a path through the water toward an approaching port on the horizon. The two teens were tall and slender, however besides this one similarity, were completely different to one another. The taller of the two was a brunette; his hair hung straight and long, his piercing blue eyes peering out between his long fringe at the approaching shoreline. His face was severe and more suited for frowning than laughing or smiling; his eyes took in the world with suspicion and distrust, an outcome of a life filled with harshness and necessary self-resilience.

The brunette's partner, however, looked about him with an openness and trusting that the taller teen lacked. The amber eyes were open and welcoming, and at first glance, one might mistakenly think the teen to be gullible or foolish. But he too had lived through bad times, and his carefully slouched posture and hunched shoulders suggested he had lived a life of studiously trying to avoid being noticed. Barely realising it, the shorter teen ran a hand through his messy blonde hair; a distracted gesture.

The two boys stood together, shoulders almost touching; one would murmur something to the other, a head tilting slightly to the side, their voices pitched low and meant only for one another. Occasionally a hand would reach out to gently brush another; the gestures were familiar and almost unconscious, coming to the teens as naturally as breathing.

All around the pair, their fellow students clustered; some leaned over the railings of the ship excitedly, pointing and gesturing toward the approaching shoreline, filling the air with their chatter and shrieks of laughter. Others stood in tight little groups; some were newly formed friendships that had arisen over living together for two weeks; others were the result of long-established bonds, running true and deep and unbroken. But the two, standing together, were standing alone. A pocket of isolation they set for themselves, noticing nothing and nobody around them as they simply existed alongside one another. Behind them, the sun was yellowing into the mellow richness of approaching dusk; the ship would make landfall soon, and they would all be home before dark. Shadows began to stretch along the deck, elongating and distorting.

Joey turned to Kaiba, his eyes taking in the face he loved so dearly. The brunette felt his gaze and turned his head, smiling in response. "You're melancholy this afternoon," Kaiba noted, his fingers rising to touch the blonde's cheek, under his eye.

Joey sighed. "Yeh, I guess so. I'm just a bit sad that I have to go home tonight. I wonder if my dad will even meet me at the dock to pick me up." His shoulders slumped slightly, already certain as he was that he would be making the long walk home once he got ashore. Kaiba reached down and took his hand.

"If he doesn't want to collect you, I'll happily take his leavings." He winked at the blonde, turning back to watch as the ship began to turn inwards, aligning itself with the large port. Smaller boats and ships were beginning to appear, anchored and bobbing on the waves; indications that the deep ocean was well and truly behind them now. Kaiba's own thoughts had turned to home: the running of Kaiba Corp., with upcoming work meetings and endless conferences; preparing for the drudgery of school to start again, and, of course, Mokuba. His absence pained the brunette, like a shallow bruise that kept being bumped.

Joey's mood had perked up a little at Kaiba's reassuring words, and he squeezed the teen's hand in silent thanks. He planned to spend as much time as possible at his boyfriend's house for the final week of holidays- basically, until Kaiba kicked him out. His only regret was that it couldn't last; come the start of school again, he'd be back in the dreary house with the father he hated, living day to day and trying not to let his dire circumstances become obvious to his schoolmates.

Hearing a shout from behind him, Joey turned to the source, Kaiba following suit. Tea was heading toward them, beaming.

"There you are! We've all been looking for you! They've put out a late lunch in the dining hall, we're all sitting together- we've just been waiting on you. Come on!" Joey glanced at Kaiba, who gave a little shrug, and the two began to follow Tea, weaving in and out of the groups of excitable students.

Sure enough, the gang were all gathered around a table as Joey and Kaiba approached; both Bakura and Yami were present, and even Duke was in attendance. Tea moved around to sit beside him, while Joey and Kaiba took the two remaining seats. Bakura was excitedly outlining his plan to hijack the ship and head back out to sea; Ryou was nodding along baldly, his mouth twitching with amusement. Tristan fist-bumped Joey across the table and even managed to give Kaiba a reasonably genuine smile in greeting. The atmosphere at the table was one of celebration; the gang were not too upset to be docking as they would likely hang out again in a few days. Yugi was particularly excited to get back to the store and see his Grandpa- apparently a new shipment of cards had come in and the youth was eager to check out what was available.

Joey noticed that as Yugi chattered excitedly about the merchandise shipment, Yami concentrated on pulling apart a bread roll, however his lips moved silently almost perfectly in time with Yugi's words, as though he were reciting a speech or poem from memory. Joey frowned slightly, recalling Kaiba's comment the evening before about their link growing stronger-was it true? It certainly seemed as though Yami was speaking _with_ Yugi, as though his partner's voice moved through him. With a sudden burst of clarity, Joey wondered if the two had finally been intimate- after all, that seemed as though the only possible way that the two teens could become even closer, he thought. Joey squinted and watched them with closer scrutiny, hoping to obtain a clue in their mannerisms; but besides the lip twitching, Yami remained impassive as always, except when staring at his Aibou with intense fascination. Shaking his head, Joey decided to mention it to one of them later- Maybe Yami, who seemed to be appointed as the relationship guru of the two.

Idly, Joey considered that almost everybody in the gang was partnered in some way. Ryou had his Bakura, who was now stealing handfuls of warm bread rolls to take off the ship with him; Yugi of course had his Yami, and whether that relationship was romantic or not, it seemed to Joey that Yugi was happy enough. Kaiba of course was a newcomer to the group but had been firmly welcomed. Tea and Duke appeared to be getting quite buddy-buddy, which was nice to see; Joey had been saddened by the thought of Tea yearning hopelessly after Yugi or Yami and dashing her heart to pieces over their lack of interest. And as for Tristan- Joey knew he had his sights set on Serenity; and for the first time he considered it as a serious possibility, and without his usual feelings of distress; it was much easier to be accepting of others' love when you'd found it for yourself, he mused. Tuning back in to the conversations floating across the table, Joey placed a hand lightly on Kaiba's knee, smiling with affection at his assembled friends- everything felt _right_ ; there were many types of love in the world, Joey realised, and he was fairly certain that all of them were represented at the table that day.

* * *

The ship ground to a halt, deck hands rushing about and tying off ropes, securing the vessel in readiness for unloading. The ramps were slowly lowered and the mass exodus began. On shore, parents and friends waited excitedly for their children to disembark, waving frantically and calling out as they spotted each other. Joey heaved his backpack further up his shoulder, his other arm pulling his suitcase behind him as he made his way down the ramp. In front of him, Kaiba walked imperiously behind his driver, who had scuttled aboard to collect his belongings for him. Kaiba had changed into his usual flowing coat and straight black pants; after all, he'd explained to Joey, he had an image to maintain. Joey chuckled and rolled his eyes at the back of his boyfriend's head, although truth be told he didn't mind Kaiba's bossy ways; he would hardly be the boy he had fallen for if he weren't also the high-handed CEO of Kaiba Corp.

Looking about him, Joey scanned the assembled crowds of parents, carers and friends for a sign of his father; while he didn't hold out much hope in his old man coming through for him, the part of him that yearned for that fatherly love dared to hope. However, after his third scan of the waiting group, he realised with the far more familiar feeling of disappointment that nobody was waiting for him. All about him, small reunions were taking place; some mothers were even crying with joy to see their offspring; Joey wondered if it was a nice feeling, to be that wanted.

Kaiba heard Joey sigh behind him, and glanced back with a faintly sympathetic expression on his face. Internally he cursed the man who could cause Joey to look so dejected; the blonde's tangible sadness made his own heart ache to comfort him- but now was not the time. Instead, he nodded his head in the direction of the long black limousine that was waiting for them, its engine purring quietly in readiness to head off. Joey nodded and dumped his bags into the boot alongside Kaiba's carefully placed suitcase, before clamouring in through the door Seto held open for him. While Kaiba quietly spoke to his driver, delivering instructions on where to take Joey, the blonde inspected the interior of the limo. It was cool and dark, and smelled of clean leather; Joey noticed small ice-blue neon lights fitted around the door frame and along the roof, and chuckled. As impassive as he appeared, Kaiba couldn't help but add a bit of his own taste to things- the colour of the neons was suspiciously close to that of a certain dragon card the brunette favoured so strongly.

Joey's musings were interrupted as Kaiba slid smoothly into the back seat, closing the door with a satisfying _thunk_ behind him. Staring across at Joey, he said softly but with obvious pleasure, "Mokuba is at home; he has been chatting Richard's ears off all morning. He is anxious to see me." He gave Joey a gentle smile and reached across the seat to grasp Joey's hands in his own. "Did I ever mention that you're amazing?"

Joey laughed. "You might have mentioned it once or twice, but keep the compliments flowin', Seto- I can't get enough!" He eyed the brunette opposite him, his grin growing wider. "In fact, speaking of not getting enough…" In one agile movement, he scampered across the space between them until he straddled the taller teen's lap, his hands grasping the sides of Kaiba's face.

Kaiba barely had time to disapprovingly say "you should be wearing your seatbelt, Joey", before the blonde teen's lips were on his, silencing his concerns. Working his mouth against Kaiba's, Joey let his hands drop from the brown hair to gently rub at the front of the CEO's dark trousers. Almost immediately Kaiba responded physically, his pants swelling with his arousal and the teen groaning quietly in the back of his throat as Joey's tongue teased his. His arms came around to enfold Joey in a tight embrace; partly to keep the blonde from being thrown from the seat as the car turned a corner; and partly to crush Joey as close to himself as possible.

Pulling away from the kiss, Kaiba stared into the cheeky amber eyes above him. "Ah, Wheeler, what _am_ I going to do with you?" He shook his head with amusement.

"I can think of a few things," Joey replied with a mischievous grin. "And you know, Seto, if my dad wasn't at the dock to pick me up today, chances are he's forgotten completely that I'm even coming home today." Kaiba tilted his head to the side, working Joey's words through his head silently.

"So…?"

"So," Joey replied with humorous exasperation, reaching down to fiddle with the button on his boyfriend's slacks, "is there any reason why I can't 'arrive' home _tomorrow?_ " As Kaiba absorbed this, Joey pulled his pants down slightly, unzipping the fly and freeing his boyfriend's growing erection from the confines of the black pants. "I mean, what he won't know can't hurt him, right?" Joey shifted off Kaiba's lap to kneel on the floor, amber eyes locked on Kaiba's deep blue. They twinkled with a lusty cheerfulness. Then, turning his attention back to Kaiba's crotch, Joey wrapped his lips around the tip of Kaiba's shaft, taking in its length as he began to suck.

Kaiba's head tilted back against the headrest with a sigh, his eyes closing in pleasure as Joey pleasured him. Running one hand through the thick mop of blonde hair moving up and down in front of him, Kaiba reached out shakily with his other hand, groping around for a control panel located in the side of the limousine. Finally his long fingers found the correct switch; flicking it, he called into the speaker located nearby. "Richard, there will be no need to stop by Mr. Wheeler's house this afternoon. He will be staying with us."

" _Of course, Mr. Kaiba; shall I drive Mr. Wheeler home tomorrow morning?"_

Kaiba looked down at the back of Joey's head- Joey: the boy he loved. Closing his eyes against another wave of pleasure, Kaiba pressed the intercom button to reply, keeping his voice steady with great difficulty.

"We shall see, Richard. But I have a feeling this might be an extended stay."

* * *

 **Well, this is where I choose to leave you- While I could continue this tale indefinitely, I would hate to ruin it by becoming stale or dragging it out... further than the 17 chapters it has already run for, that is ;)**

 **Thank you all so much for reading- your words of support, suggestions for improvement and private messages have made the experience all the more pleasurable.**

 **I originally started this story out of a desire to contribute to the Puppyshipping genre- I didn't really expect many people to read it; I just wanted to tell the story that had formed in my head. So, I am constantly amazed by the viewing numbers that increase every day. I do not know if I will write anything else- I am a fan of Puzzleshipping, as you've no doubt established, but I have not given much thought as to whether I will start something there. If you as a reader would like to see anything else from me, please let me know.**

 **You may have noticed I left several aspects of the story from being concluded- such as the scars on Kaiba's back, the source of his night terrors, Yami and Yugi's relationship status, particularly the increased merging of the two. This is deliberate as it leaves me something else to write about should I ever choose to revisit the topic- I am a fan of continuing in the same 'universe', rather than starting afresh. This is why if you ever see anything else from me, it will be contemporary with this story.**

 **Anyway, thank you again, you all rock! "Catch you on the flip side"! {.} \m/**

 **-Jehbel**


	18. Author's Note!

****** AUTHORS NOTE ******

 **Hello All,**

 **I know it's been a while, so forgive me if you get excited by this new chapter merely to get an author's note. I decided to post this on the end of NASS for all of you who may have followed this story for the Puppyshipping element.**

 **I have started on a sequel to this story- it is called Adulting, and is based some time after the cruise takes place. It is a continuation of the Joey/Seto story but does feature others from the 'gang' as well.**

 **The story is based after NASS and 'Dark Thoughts' (my Yami x Yugi story).**

 **Feel free to swing by and have a read, and I sincerely hope that you enjoy it if you do read it. As always, I am open to comments/reviews/requests and will tinker along with it slowly as I complete Golden (Ryou x Bakura story) and add to my YGO anthology.**

 **Anyway that's enough from me!**

 **Keep Cool, Kids. *kiss***

 **~Jehbel**


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